By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, February 29, 2024
Stars shared diversified 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.
A major a part of partnership sees the PIF changing into the official naming associate of the ATP Rankings, celebrating gamers’ jprogress throughout the season. The title change is obvious on the brand new PIF ATP Rankings 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 might help develop the sport.
“I feel that is good for tennis,” Medvedev instructed 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 will entice from completely different corporations or stuff like this, the extra consideration, PR, we will deliver. As you stated, it is going to be larger than simply sponsorship.
“I feel if we will make tennis larger as a sport, extra fascinating for individuals, have extra protection, simply on the whole extra individuals will know tennis, who tennis gamers are. Typically possibly you wish to be much less well-known (smiling). However yeah, I feel it is going to be good.”
Through the summer season of 2022, the PGA Tour introduced its plan to merge with Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf. It is the newest sports activities enterprise the Public Investment 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 company that “makes use of the regulation to defend the rights of LGBT individuals globally,” has condemned Saudi Arabia for “criminalizing same-sex sexual exercise between males and between ladies.”
“As a result of opacity of Saudi Arabia regulation enforcement, it isn’t doable to offer correct estimates of the variety of arrests, prosecutions, and executions [of gay people],” Human Dignity Trust said in a statement. “There have been constant reviews of discrimination and violence being dedicated in opposition to LGBT individuals lately, together with homicide, assault, harassment, and the denial of fundamental rights and providers.”
Requested his view of the brand new pact, former world No. 1 Andy Murray says he is undecided precisely how the PIF funding will form the game, however advocates extra money being utilized towards grass-roots progress of tennis to get youngsters into the game.
“I don’t know precisely what it means by sponsoring the occasions,” Murray instructed the media in Dubai. “I don’t know what that can seem like.
“Considered one of my considerations is clearly really extra concerning the funding in decrease ranges of the sport and the grassroots of the game. I feel that’s extraordinarily necessary.”
In a press release announcing the partnership, the ATP and PIF touted their shared intention 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 progress alternatives throughout the game.”
“Our strategic partnership with PIF marks a significant 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 technology – fostering innovation and creating alternatives for all – the stage is about for a transformative new interval of progress.”
Photograph credit score: Andy Cheung/Getty