Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in tennis: Is Saudi investment helping the sport or just sports washing?

For decades, tennis has been defined by its tradition. From the white-clad purity of Wimbledon’s Centre Court to the red clay battles of Roland Garros, the sport has long projected an image of elegance and integrity. 

Yet in recent years, that image has collided with a wave of change. Saudi Arabia, already a major player in football, golf and boxing, is now making a serious move into tennis. 

The question dividing fans and players alike is whether this influx of investment is a lifeline for the sport or another example of sports-washing designed to polish the image of a controversial regime.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Ben Phillips explores how Saudi Arabia’s arrival in the world of tennis could shake the sport in years to come. 

A new player in the tennis economy

In December 2023, Saudi Arabia hosted the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah. 

The event marked the country’s first major step into professional tennis and was widely seen as a test run for greater involvement. 

The tournament, which showcases the best male players under 21, is designed to highlight the sport’s future. 

That Saudi Arabia was chosen as host signalled the direction tennis’s governing bodies may be willing to take.

The deal reportedly included a five-year hosting agreement between the ATP and Saudi organisers. 

For the ATP, it offered a new financial partner and an opportunity to grow tennis in the Middle East, a region already familiar with high-level events in Dubai and Doha.

For Saudi Arabia, it represented another chance to assert itself as a modern sporting hub under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 project, which seeks to diversify the economy and reshape the nation’s international image.

Since then, reports have emerged of talks between Saudi officials and both the ATP and WTA about future collaborations, including potential Masters 1000-level events and the relocation of the WTA Finals. 

Such developments would have been unthinkable a decade ago, but the pattern is clear. Saudi Arabia wants to become a cornerstone of global tennis, and the sport’s governing bodies are listening.

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The lure of Saudi money

Tennis has been facing an uncomfortable truth for several years. Outside the Grand Slams, prize money distribution remains uneven, and many players ranked outside the top 100 struggle financially. 

Hosting fees and sponsorships are vital for sustaining events, particularly in markets where ticket sales alone cannot cover costs. Saudi Arabia’s vast financial resources, therefore, arrive at an opportune time.

The ATP and WTA have both been under pressure to modernise their tours, offer equal opportunities and compete with emerging entertainment options. 

In that context, Saudi investment appears attractive. The facilities in Jeddah were immaculate, the prize pool generous, and the organisation professional. 

Players who competed in the Next Gen Finals praised the hospitality and infrastructure, while ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi called the partnership “a new frontier” for tennis.

From a purely economic standpoint, the logic is hard to fault. 

Saudi Arabia is prepared to fund state-of-the-art venues, boost player earnings and guarantee long-term contracts. 

For tennis, which lacks the centralised wealth of sports like football or Formula 1, those offers can be difficult to refuse.

The sports-washing debate

But the enthusiasm is far from universal. 

Critics argue that Saudi Arabia’s involvement is less about growing tennis and more about rehabilitating its international reputation. 

The country has faced sustained criticism over its human rights record, restrictions on free speech and the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly accused Saudi leaders of using sport to deflect global attention from domestic repression.

The term “sports washing” has become a fixture in modern debate, used to describe how nations employ sport to soften their global image. 

Saudi Arabia’s acquisition of Newcastle United, its hosting of F1 races, and the launch of the LIV Golf series have all drawn similar accusations. 

Tennis is now the latest arena in which this contest between morality and money is being fought.

Billie Jean King, one of the sport’s great pioneers, has spoken cautiously about the issue. She emphasised that while investment is welcome, any new partnership must align with tennis’s values of equality and inclusion. 

Others have been more direct. Former world number one Chris Evert said that she would be “deeply uncomfortable” with the WTA Finals moving to Saudi Arabia, citing the country’s record on women’s rights. 

Players such as Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian trailblazer and the only Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, have offered a more nuanced view, suggesting that Saudi involvement could encourage progress if handled correctly.

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The power balance in modern sport

The rise of Saudi Arabia in global sport is part of a larger pattern. 

The Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, which controls assets worth hundreds of billions, has turned sport into a diplomatic and economic tool. 

By buying visibility across multiple disciplines, Saudi Arabia is reshaping how sports operate and who holds influence.

In tennis, this shift challenges long-standing hierarchies. 

For decades, the sport’s main financial centres were Europe, North America and Australia. Saudi investment threatens to disrupt that dominance, potentially moving major events to new time zones and climates.

That could open opportunities for fresh audiences and grassroots development in the Middle East, but it could also alienate traditional fans and players who value tennis’s historical venues.

There are also practical concerns. 

Travel demands are already a source of strain on players, with a global schedule that stretches across eleven months. Adding more events in the Gulf could intensify that burden. 

Moreover, critics fear that concentrating tournaments in regions driven by state wealth rather than organic fan bases could make the sport overly dependent on political agendas.

A sport at a crossroads

The ATP and WTA face a delicate balancing act. 

On one hand, they need to keep tennis financially sustainable and competitive. On the other they risk alienating players, fans and sponsors if they appear to ignore ethical considerations. 

The debate is not new. Similar arguments surfaced when China began hosting major events in the early 2000s. 

The WTA even suspended its tournaments in China after the disappearance of player Peng Shuai in 2021, though those events have since returned. 

Critics worry that moving into Saudi Arabia could repeat that pattern of financial opportunism over principle.

Yet others insist that engagement rather than isolation is the better route. 

They argue that by bringing international sport to Saudi Arabia, tennis can promote dialogue and cultural change. 

The presence of female players competing on Saudi soil would be a symbolic milestone, demonstrating the universality of sport and its potential to inspire reform. From that perspective, boycotts achieve little beyond entrenching divisions.

The reality is likely somewhere between those extremes. 

Tennis’s governing bodies are not blind to the criticism, but they also recognise the shifting economics of global sport. 

If they reject Saudi money, others will not. The challenge lies in setting conditions that ensure progress rather than propaganda, requiring commitments to women’s participation, grassroots funding and transparent governance.

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The players’ perspective

Among players, opinions are mixed. 

Some younger stars view the expansion into Saudi Arabia as a natural part of tennis’s evolution. They see the potential for new fans, better facilities and higher prize money. 

For others, the moral question looms larger. 

Andy Murray, long an advocate for player rights, previously turned down offers to play exhibition events in Saudi Arabia, citing ethical concerns. But he also acknowledged that times are changing and that players will need to make individual choices.

Ultimately, athletes are rarely the decision makers in such matters. 

They go where the tournaments are, where the ranking points are offered and where the prize money lies. If Saudi Arabia becomes a permanent fixture on the calendar, participation will become less a matter of choice and more of necessity.

What the future holds

As the ATP and WTA weigh their next moves, the world will be watching closely. 

The likely scenario is that Saudi Arabia’s role in tennis will continue to grow. Whether that growth proves beneficial depends on how the sport manages it. 

Transparency, inclusivity and accountability must accompany the investment. Without them, tennis risks trading its integrity for short-term financial comfort.

Sport has always reflected the times in which it exists. 

Tennis now finds itself in an era where geopolitics and global capital intersect more openly than ever. The challenge is not simply whether Saudi Arabia’s money is accepted, but what the sport demands in return.

If tennis can use this moment to expand its reach while holding to its values, the partnership could indeed help the game. If not, history may remember it as another chapter in the age of sports washing.

Either way, the conversation has already changed. Saudi Arabia’s presence in tennis is no longer hypothetical. 

It is here, it is growing, and it will test the soul of the sport in the years to come.

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