Saudi Arabia explores the possibility of acquiring the licenses of the Madrid or Miami tournaments, with the aim of organizing a Masters 1000 in its territory.
The Saudi country currently only has the Next Gen Finals, which brings together the top eight tennis players under 21 years old and does not award ATP ranking points, but it has started the expansion to have a higher caliber tournament, according to The Athletic.
The negotiation is in an early stage and the goal is to acquire the license of one of these two tournaments, currently held by IMG, the event organization and representation company - representing, among many others, Carlos Alcaraz.
The Miami Masters 1000 dates back to 1985, while the Madrid tournament started operating in 2002.
Despite the lack of an official tournament, Saudi Arabia has organized exhibitions at the end of the year and plans to hold one between Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz in December. They also tried to secure the organization of the WTA Finals, which have been played in the last three years in Guadalajara (Mexico), Fort Worth (United States), and Cancun (Mexico) after the failed agreement with China, and it is not ruled out that they will reach an agreement with the WTA for 2024.
The entry of Saudi Arabia into the circuit is not seen with a negative view by the ATP and the players. In fact, when asked in June about the possibility of playing "in a robe", Alcaraz stated that he had no doubts that at some point they would end up there.
This news comes days after the Saudis have certified the organization of the 2034 World Cup, after their candidacy was the only one received by FIFA within the deadline, following Australia's withdrawal.