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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\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made big moves into the likes of soccer, boxing, F1 and golf.<\/p>\n
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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,.<\/p>\n
On Dec. 27 Saudi Arabia\u2019s 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\u2019s footsteps and form a new tour backed by Saudi Arabia\u2019s PIF, he would not hesitate to make the move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have been the first one to jump off. I would have gone. I would have just let the ATP ship sink,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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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. \u201cAs with all WTA decisions, we are working closely with players and focused on continuing to build a strong future for women’s tennis.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI 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\u2019re both equally as fine, which is crazy,\u201d Kyrgios said. \u201cMost tennis players would be like, \u2018This was just depressing\u2019. People would be struggling, they would be like, \u2018What do I do? Who\u2019s my identity?\u2019.<\/p>\n
“This year, it\u2019s been equally as enjoyable as last year. That\u2019s just my personality and how different it is. That\u2019s the crazy thing. I just don\u2019t think I could do three seasons like that in a row. I wouldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
“Physically, I felt fine but just mentally, I was over it. So maybe this year is a counterbalance. It\u2019s been a minute. I still feel like if you put a racket in my hand it wouldn\u2019t feel foreign at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
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