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By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, February 29, 2024
Stars shared diverse views on the brand new partnership between the ATP and Public Funding Fund.. The Saudi-sponsored Public Funding Fund and ATP introduced a multi-year partnership pact yesterday.
Extra: James Blake Q&A
Extra: Richard Evans Q&A
A major a part of partnership sees the PIF changing into the official naming companion of the ATP Rankings, celebrating gamers’ jprogress throughout the season. The identify change is clear on the brand new PIF ATP Rankings web page.
The 12 months-Finish world No. 1, introduced by PIF, will likely be topped on the Nitto ATP Finals which can happen in Turin, Italy till 2025.
Defending Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev is optimistic the brand new partnership will infuse new cash into tennis which can assist develop the sport.
“I believe that is good for tennis,” Medvedev advised the media in Dubai. “It has nothing to do with Saudi, to be trustworthy, as a result of we love our sport.
“The more cash we are able to appeal to from totally different firms or stuff like this, the extra consideration, PR, we are able to deliver. As you stated, it’ll be greater than simply sponsorship.
“I believe if we are able to make tennis greater as a sport, extra attention-grabbing for folks, have extra protection, simply on the whole extra folks will know tennis, who tennis gamers are. Typically perhaps you need to be much less well-known (smiling). However yeah, I believe it’ll be good.”
Throughout the summer time of 2022, the PGA Tour introduced its plan to merge with Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf. It is the newest sports activities enterprise the Public Funding Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, has tapped in strikes critics name “sport washing”—an try to obscure Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations and connection to the 9/11 terrorist assaults with excessive profile sporting investments.
Human Dignity Belief, a corporation that “makes use of the regulation to defend the rights of LGBT folks globally,” has condemned Saudi Arabia for “criminalizing same-sex sexual exercise between males and between ladies.”
“As a result of opacity of Saudi Arabia regulation enforcement, it’s not potential to supply correct estimates of the variety of arrests, prosecutions, and executions [of gay people],” Human Dignity Belief stated in an announcement. “There have been constant experiences of discrimination and violence being dedicated towards LGBT folks lately, together with homicide, assault, harassment, and the denial of primary rights and providers.”
Requested his view of the brand new pact, former world No. 1 Andy Murray says he is unsure precisely how the PIF funding will form the game, however advocates more cash being utilized towards grass-roots development of tennis to get youngsters into the game.
“I don’t know precisely what it means by sponsoring the occasions,” Murray advised the media in Dubai. “I don’t know what that can appear to be.
“One among my issues is clearly really extra in regards to the funding in decrease ranges of the sport and the grassroots of the game. I believe that’s extraordinarily essential.”
In a press launch saying the partnership, the ATP and PIF touted their shared purpose to “collaborate to raise the long-term way forward for tennis. PIF will actively contribute to ATP’s OneVision Strategic Plan which focuses on driving unity, enhancing fan experiences and leveraging scalable development alternatives throughout the game.”
“Our strategic partnership with PIF marks a serious second for tennis,” Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, stated “It is a shared dedication to propel the way forward for the game.
“With PIF’s dedication to the subsequent era – fostering innovation and creating alternatives for all – the stage is about for a transformative new interval of progress.”
Picture credit score: Andy Cheung/Getty
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