Saudis make billion dollar offer to merge ATP and WTA tours, add January Masters tournament
- Thread starter Kralingen
- Start date
Better_Call_Raul
Legend
There should be a vote taken of the Top 100 WTA players, so we know exactly where they stand on partnering with KSA.
Top active WTA players only. Navaratilova and Evert need to stay out of it.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
The Player's Council will be consulted, but tournament owners and management outvote them.
Players will vote for the proposal, whereas the others might decide to remain big fish in a small bowl.
Players will vote for the proposal, whereas the others might decide to remain big fish in a small bowl.
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The Guru
G.O.A.T.
Either way the players win. If the premier tour wins out it will come with significant prize money hikes just like what happened with PGA.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
The proposal involves a merger between the men's and women's tours, and Gaudenzi is driving the process, so the ATP will emerge the top dog.
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Money seems the most important thing, the only thing that matters and can tell us in which direction we should go.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
Money is the most important thing, but when two organisations merge the result is that both leaders and workers lose their jobs.
The loss of the WTA could be interpreted as either a financial gain or a loss of autonomy.
The loss of the WTA could be interpreted as either a financial gain or a loss of autonomy.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
Nothing like a costly war to make you reconsider frivolous expenditures:
As of April 16, 2026, LIV Golf's future is in doubt following reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is considering cutting funding due to massive financial losses approaching \(\$5\) billion. While rumors of an imminent shutdown circulated, the tournament in Mexico City is still scheduled to proceed. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key details:
As of April 16, 2026, LIV Golf's future is in doubt following reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is considering cutting funding due to massive financial losses approaching \(\$5\) billion. While rumors of an imminent shutdown circulated, the tournament in Mexico City is still scheduled to proceed. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key details:
- Funding Cuts: PIF is reviewing its investment in the league, with reports suggesting a potential withdrawal of financial support.
- Financial Losses: LIV Golf has reportedly lost over \(\$1.1\) billion since 2021, with minimal revenue generated.
- Emergency Meetings: High-level meetings in New York have fueled speculation, with executives potentially facing job losses.
- Player Reaction: Some players, such as Sergio Garcia, stated they have heard nothing directly regarding a shutdown and were told to expect a long-term project.
- Uncertainty: Despite the rumors, the 2026 season's sixth event is continuing as planned, and there has been no official announcement of an immediate shutdown. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
They may have learnt something after torching billions on golf. Work with the existing tours rather than setting up their own.Saudi Arabia launches tennis takeover with $1 billion take-it-or-leave-it offer
Exclusive: Saudi offer to merge men’s and women’s tours is apparently time-sensitive, with a 90-day expiration period if it is not accepted
Saudi Arabia launch tennis takeover with $2bn take-it-or-leave-it offer
Exclusive: Saudi offer to merge men’s and women’s tours is apparently time-sensitive, with a 90-day expiration period if it is not acceptedwww.telegraph.co.uk
Saudi Arabia has made its move for tennis, Telegraph Sport can reveal, with a $1 billion take-it-or-leave it offer to merge the men’s and women’s tours.
Sources say that after the Premium Tour discussions in Indian Wells on Saturday, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi asked the Masters tournaments to stay behind once the four grand slams had left the room.
He then briefed them on an offer from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. The deal is apparently time-sensitive, with a 90-day expiration period if it is not accepted.
The biggest upside for the PIF would be a Masters 1000 tournament in the first week of the season, which was what the Saudis have wanted all along, and what Gaudenzi has been pushing for for more than a year.
However, this idea was strongly opposed by Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley, who has established the United Cup team event in the same slot of the calendar. The resulting animosity between Tiley and Gaudenzi started the slams down the road to their so-called Premium Tour model last year.
It now seems all the more significant that Gaudenzi did not attend January’s Australian Open along with all the other tennis stakeholders, but instead travelled to Riyadh to negotiate with PIF.
A small sponsorship deal was announced last month, putting PIF branding on the ATP rankings, but that was clearly only a starting point.
This news has the potential to cause further tension between the two tours and the four slams, especially as United States Tennis Association chief revenue officer Lew Sherr insisted that the ATP and WTA chairmen should be invited to Saturday’s Premium Tour meetings as a point of courtesy.
Now it emerges that Gaudenzi has his own unifying model up his sleeve, in which he would ascend to become a tennis commissioner for the two tours.
As things stand, the slams would not be part of this PIF offer.
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Mo Salah will have to join Plymouth Argyle.
Grafil Injection
Legend
Oh well at least one good thing came out of Operation Epic Failure.
Grafil Injection
Legend
I thought he was going to Exeter.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
Someone benefited from going outside the existing tours:
LIV Golf has held multiple tournaments at Donald Trump’s properties every year since the league's inception in 2022. For the 2026 season, the tour is confirmed to return to
Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C.
in May and
Trump National Golf Club Bedminster
in August.
LIV Golf has held multiple tournaments at Donald Trump’s properties every year since the league's inception in 2022. For the 2026 season, the tour is confirmed to return to
Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C.
in May and
Trump National Golf Club Bedminster
in August.
4UTRMoutet
Hall of Fame
Long Live the Crown Prince!
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I'd be shocked if Saudi pulled out of tennis. Unlike their other endeavors, this isn't a sideshow exo or startup league. After years of working their way into tennis with exos and the WTA, they finally secured what they really wanted, a brand new Masters 1000 on the ATP's calendar. There's very little risk involved, all they have to do is build the infrastructure. This is one of the few things that has the potential to actually earn them a profit over time, as opposed to their current sportwashing strategy of just burning cash.
Better_Call_Raul
Legend
The KSA is still in position to follow through on this offer of acquisition.
America is kindly primarily footing the bill for this costly war, not the KSA.
And America and the KSA have a close alliance...Or "strategic partnership" as it is known today.
America is kindly primarily footing the bill for this costly war, not the KSA.
And America and the KSA have a close alliance...Or "strategic partnership" as it is known today.
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RSJfan
Legend
I will let Jared know this is a deal breaker. It's the deal on the table with no changes or we're going with Greenland instead.
norcal
Legend
Except those pesky shahed drones and missiles.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
You mean, of course, that the downtrodden American taxpayer is footing the bill.
The KSA is still in position to follow through on this offer of acquisition.
America is kindly primarily footing the bill for this costly war, not the KSA.
And America and the KSA have a close alliance...Or "strategic partnership" as it is known today.
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