On January 15, at the conclusion of the second day of the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal announced that he was becoming the new ambassador of Saudi Arabia.
“Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress, and I’m excited to be a part of it. I continue playing tennis because I love it. But beyond playing, I want to help this sport grow around the world, and in Saudi Arabia there is great potential.“, he highlighted on his social networks.
The news surprised the world, but less in the tennis locker room, aware of the petrodlares that are putting the sheikhs of the Middle Eastern country on the table to gain a foothold on the tensile map.
“Nadal’s decision is his alone and I don’t know if it is good or not. What is happening in the world of sport is not all black and white. It is difficult for me to say what I think in one sentence,” he expressed. Every Swiatekworld number one.
If there is a negative reaction against us, the tennis bodies must assume responsibilities
Every Swiatek
“There are many rumors about the WTA Finals being played there. I don’t know to what extent this is good news considering the situation of women in those countries. If something happens, it should be the tennis bodies that take responsibility” , continues the Pole, qualified this Thursday for the third round of the Australian Open.
“I haven’t followed much what Rafa is going to do there, but it is evident that they are making a strong commitment to sports and are investing a lot of money. Soccer, golf and now tennis,” he declares. Caroline Wozniackione of the eight mothers present in the women’s draw of the first major and who lost in the second round to the Russian Maria Timofeeva.
Aryna Sabalenka, world number two, played an exhibition in Riyadh on December 27 against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur. It was the same day that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic also met in the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Legends of the women’s circuit like Martina Navratilova y Chris Evert They have been dissatisfied with the arrival of tennis in the area.
Don’t share Sabalenka’s opinion:The organizational level was a thousand times better than what we found in Cancun.“.
The Belarusian is referring to the last Women’s Masters where the game whistle was finished the day before the competition began and the stands almost always looked bleak.
Present and future movements
The Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) reached an agreement with the ATP to hold the ‘Next Gen’ Finals there for a period of five years. They are looking for a Masters 1000 for 2025 and will soon announce the acquisition of the WTA Finals even though there are many tennis players who do not agree with playing in Saudi Arabia.
Nadal, who was withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a muscle micro-tear, He was seen yesterday walking through his Manacor academy with Roger Federer himself.
2024-01-18 02:17:29
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