Follow us on Google Discover Last week, the ATP made an announcement that is bound to cause a hot topic of discussion among the tennis community.
The ATP announced that a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia will be coming to the schedule from 2028, causing a great level of intrigue.
The event comes on the back of the Six Kings Slam event, which has grown over the last two years, with something attracting more players now set to be on the horizon.
It’s believed that the tournament will be the tenth Masters 1000 event on the calendar, and early suggestions seem to think it will be played in February, not long after the Australian Open.
The tournament that will take place over a week is likely to cause a bit of a stir, and it would appear some people already have reservations over the concept.
Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe ATP Tour makes announcement that Steve Johnson thinks is brutal
Johnson has been discussing the new Saudi Arabia concept on the latest release of the Nothing Major podcast and he does have one big issue.
He believes that by wedging the tournament in February, it means it will be too close to some of the smaller tournaments which take place in America.
As a result, he thinks that this could be a brutal move for the tennis-loving fans in the United States and has urged the ATP to tread with caution when deciding where it will fit into the calendar.
Johnson said: “If it goes in February, that crushes the American swing. Dallas is an unreal event; if it goes during that time, these guys are going to play Saudi. It’s going to be $95000 to lose in the first round of a Masters, so why would they play Dallas and those tournaments?
“I don’t think it would have changed the four of our minds. If Dallas was still there, I would have probably played Dallas.
“But if you look at Fritz, Shelton, I see them as the top Americans in a couple of years and going to Saudi and not playing the American tournaments, which is brutal for the American fans.”
Players will likely flock to Saudi Arabia event
Given that 56 players will take part in the new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia, it doesn’t leave many players left over to take part in the smaller events in the United States.
The quality of the tournaments will be diluted with the world’s finest players heading to Saudi Arabia, with the prize pot likely to be in line with the other ATP 1000 events.
The likes of Fritz and Shelton will maintain their positions in the top 10 of the sport, and as a result, they will almost certainly take part in Saudi Arabia in 2028.
As Johnson said, that would represent a blow for the United States swing early in the year, and it would appear that the ATP have to be extremely careful when deciding where to place this tournament.
Given the nature of sport moving to Saudi Arabia and the occasional controversy behind it, it will also be fascinating to see if any of the world’s top players choose to revolt against the tournament.