Published February 06,2024
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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will headline a brand new exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, organisers stated, as debate swirls about tennis’s push into the conservative nation.
The Serb and the Spaniard, with 46 main titles between them, will likely be joined by Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner on the 6 Kings Slam.
World quantity three Daniil Medvedev and seventh-ranked Holger Rune may also play the occasion in Riyadh in October, oil-rich Saudi Arabia’s newest foray into the game.
Women’s greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova final month criticised the circulation of Saudi cash into girls’s tennis, as officers contemplate staging the end-of-season WTA Finals there.
“We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia,” learn the headline for his or her joint opinion piece within the Washington Post.
But Tunisian star Ons Jabeur hit again, saying “people should be more informed about what’s happening in Saudi”, the place a lot of financial and social reforms are in progress.
Rafael Nadal, who has hinted this can be his ultimate season, signed up as a tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia, whose efforts to enhance its worldwide repute by sport are sometimes branded “sportswashing”.
As nicely as internet hosting F1 and top-level boxing, and signing a swathe of soccer superstars for its home league, Saudi Arabia may also maintain a lot of large occasions within the subsequent decade together with the 2034 World Cup.
Source: www.anews.com.tr