Saudi Arabia to host ATP season-ending Next Gen Finals

Kingdom to hold tournament from 2023-2027 with a record prize money of $2 million

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during the ATP Next Gen tournament in Milan in 2021. Saudi Arabia will host the tournament from now. AP

Saudi Arabia will host the season-ending Next Gen Finals for men's under-21 players from 2023-2027 it was announced on Thursday.

“The ATP Tour is truly global and exploring new markets is central to growing the game. Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our chance to inspire new fans, in a region with a vast young population, and unite audiences around tennis,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement.

The tournament has been played in Milan since it began in 2017. It will now move to the Middle East for the first time, with Jeddah as its latest venue. Its prize money has also increased to a record $2 million, up from $1.4 million last year.

“Our congratulations go to Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation. We look forward to building on the event’s incredible success together.”

It is the first time an official ATP event will be held in Saudi Arabia. It's part of a recent push to bring top-level sporting events under the umbrella of the kingdom.

The PGA Tour, European Tour and Saudi-funded LIV Golf announced a collaboration last month. Saudi football clubs, backed by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, have been signing big-name players with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar and many more having moved to the Middle East.