Jakarta (MidLand) – Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will headline a new exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia, as debate continues over holding sporting events in the conservative country.
The organizers announced, as broadcast by AFP on Tuesday, that Serbian and Spanish tennis players, with a total of 46 titles greaterwill co-headline with Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the event titled “6 Kings Slam”.
World number three Daniil Medvedev and seventh-ranked Holger Rune will also take part in the event in Riyadh in October, in oil-rich Saudi Arabia’s latest bid to diversify its economy through sport.
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Former world number ones Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova last month criticized Saudi Arabia’s flow of money into women’s tennis, as officials considered holding the season-ending WTA finals there.
“We did not help build women’s tennis so it could be exploited by Saudi Arabia,” read the headline of their joint article in the Washington Post.
But Tunisian star Ons Jabeur countered that “the public should be better informed about what is happening in Saudi Arabia”, where a series of economic and social reforms are underway.
Rafael Nadal, who has hinted that this year could be his last, has been named tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
The Middle Eastern country’s efforts to improve its international reputation through sport are often labeled as “sportswashing”.
As well as hosting F1 and boxing, as well as recruiting a host of football superstars for its national league, Saudi Arabia will also host a number of major events over the next decade, including the 2034 World Cup.
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Reporter: Arindra Mediadia
Publisher: Hernawan Wahyudono
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