Saudi Arabia ‘in talks over ATP event’ with Nadal and Djokovic expected to play

Team USA won the inaugural United Cup this year (Image: Getty) Tennis could soon make its way to Saudi Arabia as the Public Investment Fund eyes another tournament. The nation has already hosted an off-season exhibition event – the Diriyah Tennis Cup – and is expected to stage the 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals. And the mixed-gender United Cup could be the first tournament with ranking points to be held in Saudi Arabia. According to the Daily Mail , the PIF staged talks with Tennis Australia over hosting the United Cup. The tournament is a joint team event between the ATP and WTA which was introduced this year and opens the calendar for the season. Staged across Sydney, Brisbane and Perth back in January, Tennis Australia reported a loss in the inaugural edition – which is where Saudi comes in. Talks took place during Wimbledon last week and – if the tournament does move to Saudi Arabia – it could mean top players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic find themselves competing in the nation. Nadal was part of Team Spain at the tournament earlier this year while Djokovic previously represented Serbia in the event’s predecessor – the men-only ATP Cup. WTA world No 1 Iga Swiatek joined Team Poland at the first edition earlier this year. Rafael Nadal played in this year’s United Cup (Image: Getty) It comes as there is increasing belief that the ATP Tour will make its first move into Saudi Arabia later this year with the Next Gen Finals. The tournament sees the eight best players aged 21 and under competing in a round-robin stage to reach the semi-finals and final. Current world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz and top five star Stefanos Tsitsipas are previous champions of the event, which was previously staged in Milan. With the five-year deal in the Italian city running out, Jeddah is expected to be unveiled as the new host city – with no confirmation as of yet despite the event being four months away. But with the Next Gen Finals not awarding ranking points, the United Cup would be Saudi Arabia’s first chance of staging an elite tour-level event. It comes after an exhibition tournament was held in Diriyah back in December – though like the Next Gen Finals, this was for male players only. Daniil Medvedev won the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition in Saudi Arabia (Image: Getty)