Saudi Arabia

Learner Tien Wins Next Gen ATP Finals In Saudi Arabia

December 22, 2025 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Learner Tien lived up to his billing as top seed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF by claiming the coveted trophy in front of a lively crowd, which included all-time great Rafael Nadal.

Tien, a finalist on debut in 2024, defeated second seed Alexander Blockx 4-3 (7-4), 4-2, 4-1 to cap an impressive breakthrough year and set himself up perfectly for 2026. This season, the 20-year-old American won his first ATP Tour title and ended the year at a career-high Number 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

In a match that pitted power again precision, it was the guile, consistency, and ball control of Tien that proved too good on the night against the big-hitting Blockx, who became a crowd favourite throughout the week for his exciting game style and fine form.

Tien said: “I’ve loved it here. I’ve played very well both years. This year maybe I didn’t play as well in some matches as I wanted, but the crowd got me through a lot of them. The support, especially tonight, has been amazing, and I’m very thankful to everyone.”

Despite defeat in the final, Blockx can look back on his tournament with plenty of positives; the 20-year-old Belgian was unstoppable for his first four matches and entered the title match as the last remaining unbeaten player in the competition.

Blockx said: “I enjoyed it here very much. I really had fun on court, even today. When I was losing, I told myself to enjoy the moment because it might be the last time I experience a match like that. I wasn’t disappointed or angry. I was just having fun and looking for opportunities. It’s been a really fun 10 or 11 days here, and I’m really excited for the next weeks.”

It was an exciting final that capped off a spectacular week of tennis in Jeddah, both on the court at King Abdullah Sports City and around the city. While the flagship tournament for the eight leading ATP Tour players aged 20-and-under delivered five days of top-class tennis, numerous activities took place across Jeddah to promote tennis – much of it led by sports icon Nadal.

As part of a three-day visit to Jeddah, the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) Ambassador spent the afternoon on Friday at The Professional Tennis Academy – Vamos, where he led a mentoring discussion and oversaw a coaching session with more than 20 of Saudi Arabia’s elite tennis talents. On Saturday, Nadal visited Dunes Racquet Club to lead two coaching clinics: for athletes from the Saudi Special Olympics team and for young children.

Sunday morning was spent at the stunning Silver Sands Beach, where Nadal played beach tennis with Saudi players, before making his way to King Abdullah Sports City to meet juniors competing in an Under-14 Asian Tennis Federation tournament and to attend the final. There were also meet-and-greets with fans on both evenings over the weekend.

The 22-time major champion then completed his visit to Jeddah by congratulating Tien in the locker room following his impressive victory in the final.

Nadal said: “It’s been a great experience. I was able to, of course, visit the tournament, but at the same time, and most important for me, visit different places and spend time with kids. I wanted to send them the right messages in terms of values, of how to see their future and the way that I consider the proper way to proceed when you are a kid and how you want to keep growing as a tennis player and as a human. So, it was a great experience and I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Since the Next Gen ATP Finals made its historic debut in 2023 as the first ever professional tennis event to be staged in Saudi Arabia, the sport has made remarkable strides thanks to an ambitious strategy led by the STF.

More elite-level professional events, including the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF and from 2028 a new ATP Masters 1000, play a key role in generating interest in tennis, while community programs are putting racquets in the hands of children across the Kingdom. For instance, ‘Tennis for All’, in collaboration with ‘Sports for All’, introduced tennis to more than 53,000 kids this year.

Meanwhile, female participation has increased by 24% in just one year since the 2024 WTA Finals Riyadh, while the progress in elite player development has resulted in a record 82 Saudi players currently holding an international ranking.

Nadal said: “It’s great news that the country has such important events like the WTA Finals, the Next Gen, and the Six Kings Slams. These events encourage parents and kids to play more tennis. Of course, there is still a lot to do, but these events attract people and engage people in our beautiful sport.

“Now there is a follow-up that we need to work on. We need to create the right facilities and engage families, because the families are the ones who make the decision where their kids are going. So, it’s important to make the right decisions to help them choose tennis.”

As the Next Gen ATP Finals complete their transformative three-year stay in Jeddah, and Nadal departs from his latest visit, the future of tennis in Saudi is brighter than ever.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia- DECEMBER 21: Images of Learner Tien from USA on day 5,
photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Saudi Arabia To Host New ATP Masters 1000 Event As Early As 2028

October 23, 2025 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

ATP and SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company, have today announced the launch of an all-new ATP Masters 1000 tournament, to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.

In what is the first-ever expansion of the tournament category, Saudi Arabia will become the tenth ATP Masters 1000 host, joining the existing nine tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. The Saudi tournament will begin as early as 2028.

The agreement marks a new era for global tennis and a major sports transformation in Saudi Arabia, bringing the most celebrated names in the sport to the country and delivering an unforgettable experience for fans.

Pictured from left to right: Yazeed A. Al-Humied, Deputy Governor and Head of MENA Investments at PIF; Andrea Gaudenzi, Chairman of the ATP; His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF; Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment; and Bandar Mogren, Chairman of SURJ Sports Investment and COO of PIF, gather in Paris, France, to sign a new partnership to bring a 10th ATP Masters 1000 event to Saudi Arabia. Credit: SURJ Sports Investment. Download high-res rights-free image here.
The hosting of the tenth ATP Masters 1000 event underscores PIF’s long-term commitment to shaping the future of international tennis and global sport, and elevating Saudi Arabia’s position as a premier global sports and entertainment hub. The deal builds on the existing strategic partnership between PIF and ATP, which includes PIF as the official naming partner of the PIF ATP Rankings (as well as the WTA rankings), partnering on several key ATP Tour events and the recent launch of a next-generation technology platform, ATP Tennis IQ Powered by PIF. As part of the agreement, the new event will join ATP and the existing Masters 1000 tournaments as a shareholder in ATP Media, the Tour’s global broadcast and media arm.

The tournament will also focus on accelerating the growth of the game at all levels. A nationwide grassroots programme, developed in partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation, will promote inclusivity, accessibility, and talent development, inspiring the next generation of Saudi athletes and champions and creating robust pathways for participation. This supports part of PIF’s broader ambition to grow sport at all levels, and to help drive the development of tennis across both the men’s and women’s game.

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, commented: “This is a proud moment for us and the result of a journey that’s been years in the making. Saudi Arabia has shown a genuine commitment to tennis – not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly at all levels. PIF’s ambition for the sport is clear, and we believe fans and players alike will be amazed by what’s coming. Strengthening our premium events is driving record growth and transformation across the Tour, and we’re grateful to our partners at PIF and SURJ for helping deliver that growth and sharing in this vision.”

Bander Bin Mogren, Chairman of SURJ Sports Investment, said: “Bringing an ATP Masters 1000 event to Saudi Arabia is a major step forward for tennis in the region and a reflection of our shared commitment with ATP to the growth of the game around the world. This announcement underscores Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a major destination for world-class sport and strengthens our ambition to support athletes, fans, and the wider tennis community for years to come. We are proud to be leading this effort with our partners, and we are committed to delivering a tournament that leaves a lasting legacy for the sport.”

Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, added: “The launch of an ATP Masters 1000 in Saudi Arabia is a defining moment in our journey to enhance the sports landscape. This tournament is more than an event; it is a statement of ambition, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s role as a global sports hub. In partnership with ATP, we are committed to creating an extraordinary experience for players and fans, while advancing our mission to develop sport at every level.”

Sports is a key strategic sector for PIF, unlocking opportunities and enriching lives while establishing Saudi Arabia as a global destination for sports and a driver of long-term economic growth. PIF supports a wide range of sports globally and domestically, including football/soccer, tennis, golf, electric motorsports, combat sports and esports both to drive sports’ global growth and encourage participation domestically.

With Riyadh having hosted the WTA Finals since 2024 and Jeddah as the home of the Next Gen ATP Finals since 2023, this latest announcement is set to strengthen the country’s connection with tennis and inspire an emerging fanbase with yet another glimpse of the world’s best players.

More details on the tournament venue and dates will be announced in due course.

Joao Fonseca Forecasts His Greatness With NextGen ATP Finals Victory

December 23, 2024 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF reached a thrilling conclusion on Sunday as 18-year-old Joao Fonseca lifted the prestigious trophy in front of a near-capacity crowd in Jeddah.

Fonseca, the youngest player in the tournament and the last to qualify, lived up to his billing as a future superstar by going undefeated and winning the biggest title of his prodigious career. In the final at King Abdullah Sports City, eighth seed Fonseca defeated sixth seed Learner Tien 2-4, 4-3 (10-8), 4-0, 4-2 to conclude an impressive breakthrough year for the 18-year-old Brazilian, who has surged 585 places in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2024.

The final began with a special appearance from Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal, who received enormous cheers from the crowd when he entered the court. Nadal spent three days in Jeddah in his role as the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) Ambassador, enjoying the city, meeting with Saudi national team players, and hosting coaching clinics for children.

That set the tone for a riveting final that had the packed stadium gripped from start to finish. Tien started brightly, breaking Fonseca’s serve in the first game and that was enough to win the opening set. The players couldnt be separated in the second set, which was decided in a tense tiebreak that saw Tien save four set points before Fonseca, who saved one set point of his own, eventually levelled at the fifth attempt.

If the second set was close, the third was emphatic as Fonseca siezed the momentum to break Tien’s serve twice and claim a 2-1 sets lead in just 12 minutes. The competitiveness returned for the fourth set until Fonseca’s relentless aggression earned the all-important break in the fifth game. From there, it was a matter of holding serve, which Fonseca duly did to win title and become the first Brazilian champion of this tournament.

By clinching the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF trophy, Fonseca adds his name to an illustrious list of champions, including World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, and 11-time ATP Tour winner Stefanos Tsitsipas. He is also the second-youngest winner of the tournament.

Fonseca, 18, said: “I’m so happy to win this match, to win this tournament. I’m very proud of myself. I think back to January, I can’t believe that I just won the Next Gen and all the things I did this year. It’s just amazing the way I improved, not only technically, but physically and mentally. But of course I want more. My dream is to become [world] number one.”

Tien, 19, said: “It was a really good experience. Coming here, getting to see something different outside the US, it was a good week for me. I was really happy just to be able to qualify to be here, so to come here and still have some success against seven other really good players is a big accomplishment and something I’m really proud of.”

It was a fitting conclusion to a remarkably successful tournament in the second year Jeddah has hosted the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF as part of a five-year partnership between the ATP Tour and the STF.

Arij Mutabagani, Saudi Tennis Federation President, said: “The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF has been a fantastic success, attracting large and enthusiastic crowds all week. The passion and energy displayed by fans and the hard work of our staff and volunteers has been truly inspiring.

“Alongside the tournament, the community events hosted around Jeddah, led by tennis legend and our Ambassador Rafael Nadal, continue to create more opportunities as we work tirelessly towards achieving our goal of getting one million into tennis by 2030. Events like this are crucial to introducing the sport to the future leaders of Saudi Arabia and building the foundations for future success.”

While the tournament, which featured the eight leading 20-and-under players on the ATP Tour, was the primary focus this week, several more events took place across Jeddah to promote tennis as the STF aims to inspire one million into the sport by 2030.

King Abdullah Sports City was a hive of activity all week with strong crowds throughout that continued to increase, culminating in a packed stadium and an electric atmosphere for the final. The Fan Zone welcomed thousands of visitors every day as families and groups of friends gathered to soak up the occassion and enjoy the many activities on offer.

Within King Abdullah Sports City, an ATF U14 tournament was held featuring some of the brightest prospects in Asian tennis before Saudi Arabia hosted its first ever Wheelchair tennis event.

-ENDS-

About the Saudi Tennis Federation The Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) is the governing body for tennis in Saudi Arabia, established to promote, develop and nurture the sport across the Kingdom. Our message is to empower young men and women in the Kingdom to thrive in the sport of tennis through talent discovery and development programs, hosting and organizing international tournaments, and enhancing the infrastructure to position tennis as one of the main sports in Saudi Arabia

Rafael Nadal Becomes New Ambassador For Saudi Tennis Federation

January 15, 2024 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Rafa Nadal, one of the greatest sporting figures and tennis players of all-time has become a new ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) as part of a long-term commitment to help grow the sport and inspire a new generation of athletes in Saudi Arabia.

The new role is announced following a recent a surprise visit to a junior tennis clinic in Riyadh hosted by the STF and will see the Spanish superstar spend dedicated time in the Kingdom each year to help nurture and plan the development of boys and girls in the sport as well as grow further interest in tennis amongst the country’s young population.

Beyond encouraging the growth of the sport overall, plans are also being put in place to develop a new Rafa Nadal Academy to nurture talent and serve as a centre of excellence to help aspiring players fulfil their tennis dreams.

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles to date, is set to support tennis in one of the fastest growing countries in the world, with sport becoming an increasingly important part of daily life, especially for the Kingdom’s 20 million people aged under 30 years old.

Speaking on his new role as an ambassador to the Saudi Tennis Federation, Nadal said; “Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that. I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential. The kids here today are looking to the future and have a real passion for all sports. If I can help them pick up a racquet or simply get fit and enjoy the benefits of healthy living, then I’ll be happy to have made a difference.”

Under Vision 2030, sports participation across men and women in Saudi Arabia has rapidly increased and is now close to 50%, more than tripling since 2015. The number of sporting federations have also tripled during this time with the STA a perfect example of the growth story underway.

Nadal will now look to accelerate the momentum which has been building across the entire tennis ecosystem from the grassroots up. In 2023 an estimated 30,000 school children took their first steps in tennis thanks to the ‘Tennis For All’ program, a unique partnership between the STF and Saudi Sports For All Federation, which saw tennis introduced to the physical education curriculum in 90 schools. Future plans are already in place to roll the program out in 200 schools in 2024 and 400 in 2025.

Today Saudi Arabia is home to 177 tennis clubs, up 146% since 2019. In the last four years, the number of registered players has increased by 46% to 2,300 and under-14 players by 100% – from 500 to +1,000. STF also now holds 40 national tournaments annually – including hosting three ITF Juniors tournaments in the past year.

Saudi Tennis Federation President, Arij Almutabagani, added: “Rafa embodies all the values we hold dear in a true champion on and off the court. He’s simply the ideal role model for our young boys and girls to look up to. It’s clear Rafa lives the best version of himself every single day. His dedication to training, his commitment to every shot and the way he fights for every point are values we hope to instill in our own future stars. Not just to develop them as players but as people.

“Rafa transcends the sport of tennis and continues to inspire generations around the world. I’ve no doubt he will have the same impact on Saudi. We feel blessed to call him our ambassador and our young players can’t wait to work with him!”

Nadal and his coaching team are also set to develop a program of values to inspire ‘Team Saudi’, the national teams who represent the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committees in international tournaments and will share their knowledge with all players and their coaches.

Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation, the country has become a welcoming host for some of the biggest global sports events. Since 2018 the Kingdom has staged over 85 international events for both male and female athletes including football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian, esports and golf, attended by over 2.6 million sports fans.

The latest addition, the Next Gen ATP Finals signals the country’s intent to make tennis a major part of its international calendar and is the first of many likely professional tennis tournaments to be held in the country, with Nadal now committed to supporting future events in an ambassadorial role.

Almutabagani, continued: “Yes, we want to host the world’s best to inspire and help our young people fall in love with the game. But looking ahead one day we also want to play alongside and compete against the world’s best male and female players. We know it’s a long journey ahead but we’re investing in our children and committed for the long-term. And hopefully with Rafa’s support we’ll go along that journey a little bit faster and as a fit and healthy nation.”