Times of London: ATP set to bow to Saudi millions

The ATP appears ready to cave in on a deal with deep-pocketed Saudi sheiks, with a Masters 1000 looking almost certain for next January, the Times of London reported on Tuesday.

Awarding the kingdom a prestige Masters date in January also looks like upsetting the traditional Australian summer of tennis which begins the season.

The Times reported that a Masters in early January could easily spell the end of the new ATP-WTA United Cup, which will play its second edition in Sydney and Perth starting December 29. 

The Saudis have been banging on the door of tennis and came close to hosting the WTA Finals before pressure and international disapproval scuppered the lucrative deal.

With the LIV gold already under their control, the cash-flush Middle East financial powerhouse is ramming a foot into the door of tennis, dangling multi-million dollar deals which are hard for bean-counters and corporate suits to resist.

The limitless sovereign wealth fund has already done a deal to host the NextGen Finals in Jeddah from November 28 as a first move into tennis.

That is due to be followed by an exhibition between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in late December.

They pointed out that a Masters which ends a week before the start of the Open in a time zone eight hours to the west would likely sound the death knell for the 250-level ATP events which form the runup series to the January 15 start of the Grand Slam.

The Saudi fund is apparently willing to disburse some spare change for a total Masters prize packet of EUR 7 million, with the winner pocketing one million.

The paper added that it remains unsure where the extra Masters date will  come from, with the calendar already packed out.

Reports indicate that current Masters venues of Miami and the Paris Bercy indoors would be willing to entertain proposals from eager MIddle East money men.