Kyrgios admits he’d ‘let ATP sink’ if he could jump ship and get Saudi money
Nick Kyrgios admitted he would swiftly leave the ATP Tour if a breakaway tour funded by Saudi Arabia came about. In recent years Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made big moves into the likes of soccer, boxing, F1 and golf.
They helped create LIV Golf, which immediately started to use its seemingly-unlimited pot of money to lure some of the best players in the world into quitting the PGA Tour. Reports in recent months claim the nation now wants to have a bigger involvement in tennis. Jeddah hosted the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals, won by Hamad Medjedovic, from late November into early December,.
On Dec. 27 Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh is set to host an exhibition match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. During a conversation with The Athletic, Kyrgios admitted that if tennis were to follow in golf’s footsteps and form a new tour backed by Saudi Arabia’s PIF, he would not hesitate to make the move.
“I would have been the first one to jump off. I would have gone. I would have just let the ATP ship sink,” the 28-year-old said. Reports suggest Saudi Arabia is interested in hosting the 2024 WTA Finals, with reports stating that negotiations were in the late stages, with both parties keen on agreeing to a multiyear deal.
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“We are in discussions with various groups surrounding the 2024 WTA Finals and beyond and have not made any decisions at this time,” a WTA spokesperson told Reuters. “As with all WTA decisions, we are working closely with players and focused on continuing to build a strong future for women’s tennis.”
After a career-best 2022 season which produced a run to the Wimbledon singles final and claiming the Australian Open doubles crown, Kyrgios played just one match in 2023. He had knee surgery and also injured his wrist this season, which saw him feature very little this past year.
During his time out of action, Kyrgios experienced being a tennis analyst for the first time, as he helped commentate on November’s ATP Finals on Tennis Channel. Despite missing most of the action this year, The former world No. 13 also explained he has not enjoyed this year any less than his brilliant 2022 campaign.
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“I played a full year last year, no injuries; had great results, had a great year. I barely played this year, two surgeries, and now still, I would probably say they’re both equally as fine, which is crazy,” Kyrgios said. “Most tennis players would be like, ‘This was just depressing’. People would be struggling, they would be like, ‘What do I do? Who’s my identity?’.
“This year, it’s been equally as enjoyable as last year. That’s just my personality and how different it is. That’s the crazy thing. I just don’t think I could do three seasons like that in a row. I wouldn’t be able to play anymore. I was spent after I got home after the US Open, I was cooked. I was so mentally fried. I was just so tired.
“Physically, I felt fine but just mentally, I was over it. So maybe this year is a counterbalance. It’s been a minute. I still feel like if you put a racket in my hand it wouldn’t feel foreign at all.”
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