The ATP recently made an announcement that’s likely to spark plenty of conversation across the tennis world.
In 2028, Saudi Arabia will host a new Masters 1000 event. The news has already drawn attention, raising questions about what the tournament might mean for the tour.
This move comes on the heels of growing interest in Saudi tennis, highlighted by the Six Kings Slam over the past couple of years. Now, there’s talk that this new tournament could be another step forward.
If it goes ahead as expected, it would be the tenth Masters 1000 event on the schedule. Early reports suggest it could take place in February, just after the Australian Open.
While many are curious to see how it fits into an already packed calendar, others have voiced some concerns about adding another event so early in the season.
ATP Tour schedule change criticised by Steve Johnson
Johnson has been speaking about the new Saudi Arabia event on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast, and he’s not convinced it’s a good fit.
He pointed out that slotting the tournament into February puts it right up against several smaller American events, which could end up being overshadowed.
This isn’t just a scheduling issue for him; Johnson feels it could be a tough break for American fans, who may see their local events lose out. He’s called on the ATP to be careful about where exactly this new event lands on the calendar.
Johnson explained: “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.”
He added: “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 likely to gravitate towards Saudi event
With 56 spots available in the new Masters 1000 event, there won’t be many top names left to fill the draw of the smaller American tournaments. Most of them will naturally be drawn to Saudi Arabia, especially with prize money expected to match that of other Masters events.
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And with Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz still expected to be top-10 fixtures by then, they’ll probably end up joining the rest in Saudi Arabia. It’s an issue that Steve Johnson thinks will hurt the early-year American swing, and he’s already warning that it could have wider implications for those tournaments.
The ATP needs to consider these knock-on effects carefully when finalising where this new tournament fits into the calendar.
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