“Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia you see growth and progress and I am happy to be a part of it. » The statement does not come from a Saudi leader, but from Rafael Nadal. A few days after his – aborted – return to competition after almost a year without playing due to injury, the Spaniard with twenty-two Grand Slam titles once again made headlines on the circuit by being designated, Monday January 15 , ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF). He will ensure the “promotion of tennis”, and a Rafa Nadal academy should see the light of day there.
The 37-year-old Majorcan joins the list of world sport leaders attracted by the monarchy… and its petrodollars. Before him, Lionel Messi was named tourism ambassador in 2022, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema became the headliners of the Saudi championship.
For several years, Saudi Arabia has been developing an all-out sporting strategy with Formula 1, MotoGP, the LIV golf circuit, football – it is the only candidate for the organization of the 2034 World Cup – and even… the billiards. Way for the kingdom to use sport to whitewash its image (“sportwashing” strategy), marred in particular by the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, and regularly accused of human rights violations, as denounced by organizations of defense of these rights.
It’s tennis’ turn, therefore, to take up residence in the Gulf monarchy. In November, the Masters Next Gen – a tournament bringing together the best players under 22 – was relocated to Jeddah, after Milan. The five-year contract signed with the ATP, which manages the men’s circuit, “signals the country’s desire to make tennis a large part of its international calendar and is the first in a series of tournaments that could be hosted in Saudi Arabia”welcomed the STF.
An “inevitable” development
At the end of December, the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup welcomed tour boss Novak Djokovic and his Spanish runner-up Carlos Alcaraz, as well as the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (world number 2) and the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (number 6) during an exhibition on the sidelines of the launch of the 2024 season. “It was an extraordinary experience, Sabalenka enthused. They treated us really well. (…) They really like tennis. »
Saudi Arabia could well host the WTA Masters, where the eight best players of the year compete at the end of the season. In June 2023, the president of the WTA, Steve Simon, announced that the body governing the professional women’s circuit “ evaluated » the possibility of moving this tournament to the kingdom, while conceding that the option was “difficult and complex”.
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