By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, February 29, 2024
Stars shared diverse views on the brand new partnership between the ATP and Public Funding Fund.. The Saudi-sponsored Public Funding Fund and ATP introduced a multi-year partnership pact yesterday.
Extra: James Blake Q&A
Extra: Richard Evans Q&A
A main a part of partnership sees the PIF changing into the official naming accomplice of the ATP Rankings, celebrating gamers’ jprogress throughout the season. The identify change is clear on the brand new PIF ATP Rankings web page.
The 12 months-Finish world No. 1, introduced by PIF, shall be topped on the Nitto ATP Finals which is able to happen in Turin, Italy till 2025.
Defending Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev is optimistic the brand new partnership will infuse new cash into tennis which will help develop the sport.
“I feel that is good for tennis,” Medvedev informed the media in Dubai. “It has nothing to do with Saudi, to be sincere, as a result of we love our sport.
“The extra money we are able to entice from completely different firms or stuff like this, the extra consideration, PR, we are able to convey. As you stated, it is going to be larger than simply sponsorship.
“I feel if we are able to make tennis larger as a sport, extra attention-grabbing for folks, have extra protection, simply usually extra folks will know tennis, who tennis gamers are. Typically perhaps you need to be much less well-known (smiling). However yeah, I feel it is going to be good.”
Throughout the summer season of 2022, the PGA Tour introduced its plan to merge with Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf. It is the most recent sports activities enterprise the Public Funding Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, has tapped in strikes critics name “sport washing”—an try and obscure Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations and connection to the 9/11 terrorist assaults with excessive profile sporting investments.
Human Dignity Belief, a corporation that “makes use of the regulation to defend the rights of LGBT folks globally,” has condemned Saudi Arabia for “criminalizing same-sex sexual exercise between males and between girls.”
“As a result of opacity of Saudi Arabia regulation enforcement, it isn’t potential to offer correct estimates of the variety of arrests, prosecutions, and executions [of gay people],” Human Dignity Belief stated in an announcement. “There have been constant reviews of discrimination and violence being dedicated towards LGBT folks in recent times, together with homicide, assault, harassment, and the denial of primary rights and companies.”
Requested his view of the brand new pact, former world No. 1 Andy Murray says he is unsure precisely how the PIF funding will form the game, however advocates extra money being utilized towards grass-roots development of tennis to get children into the game.
“I don’t know precisely what it means by sponsoring the occasions,” Murray informed the media in Dubai. “I don’t know what that may appear to be.
“One in every of my considerations is clearly truly extra in regards to the funding in decrease ranges of the sport and the grassroots of the game. I feel that’s extraordinarily vital.”
In a press launch saying the partnership, the ATP and PIF touted their shared goal to “collaborate to raise the long-term way forward for tennis. PIF will actively contribute to ATP’s OneVision Strategic Plan which focuses on driving unity, enhancing fan experiences and leveraging scalable development alternatives throughout the game.”
“Our strategic partnership with PIF marks a serious second for tennis,” Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, stated “It is a shared dedication to propel the way forward for the game.
“With PIF’s dedication to the subsequent era – fostering innovation and creating alternatives for all – the stage is ready for a transformative new interval of progress.”
Picture credit score: Andy Cheung/Getty
