World No. 1 Iga Swiatek provided a politically correct answer when asked about the reported $2 billion offer the ATP and WTA have received from Saudi Arabia, saying that it is up to the two associations to negotiate and that she won’t rush to make any judgments until the official decision comes.
On March 12th, the Telegraph reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) gave a $2 billion offer to the ATP and WTA to merge – if accepted, the Saudis would officially become a big part of the tennis world. In the report, it was also said that the offer had an expiration time – 90 days to accept or decline.
While the Saudis are aiming to enter tennis big-time, they made another major step on April 4th when the WTA announced that they struck a three-year deal to bring the WTA Finals to Riyadh. The deal is a major thing for both sides as Saudi Arabia now stages one of the biggest tournaments, while the WTA Finals is now set to offer a record-breaking $15.25 million in tournament prize money this year – the prize money will also be increased in 2025 and 2026.
Swiatek on the offer that the Saudis reportedly made to the ATP, WTA
In her pre-tournament press conference in Stuttgart, Swiatek was asked about the recent rumors.
