Saudi Arabia also loses, Tennis prefers Milan for the next ATP Finals (Sueddeutsche)

“SI’m doing quite a bit of shopping these days in and around the Inalpi Arena, south of Turin“, writes Sueddeutsche. Behind the scenes at the Finals there are several stands frequented by fans. Some buy rackets, some just take a spin. But there is a stand that attracts the attention of the German newspaper, a stand “present with a diverse intent“. It is about the “so-called Pif lounge, which at first glance is not as inviting as the other stands. Also because, among other things, it has to do with the fact that it sells nothing, but is there to buy“.

What is the Pif fund doing in Turin during the Finals?

“Quite unusual for Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (Public Investment Fund, Pif for short) to present itself to the Turin tennis public with its own stand” is the judgment of Sueddeutsche at a first and hasty analysis.

But going deeper,”The omnipresence of the Pif Fund in the season finale is no coincidence. An organization that operated in the shadows of the investment world“, now he also has a stand at the Finals in Turin.

The word of the Pif fund sets an example in golf. Saudi Arabia’s fund is the “founder of the Liv Tour, owner of Newcastle United and the four biggest clubs in the Saudi league in football: Pif now appears everywhere not only as a financier in the background, but also with his name. And it wants to expand its presence also in tennis, which also involves the Turin headquarters“. In other words, it aims to host the Finals in Arabia.

The contract with the city of Turin will expire in 2025 and the next city to host the tournament has been discussed for some time. “According to media reports, one of the competitors would be the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia: the WTA women’s finals are already taking place in Riyadh (which were a failure from the spectator’s point of view: there were huge gaps in the stands) , but we are also looking to host a men’s tournament. The so-called Six Kings Slam is not intended to be a permanent solution. Instead, the desired solution would obviously be a Masters series tournament, the ATP category under the four Grand Slams, or the annual final, which could then be excellently sold as the Road to Riyadh“.

But it might not go the way of Arabia Spera. Indeed, it seems that the Pif fund may remain empty-handed. “It is possible that in the future the road will no longer lead to a desert state, but rather to northern Italy. A few days ago a counter-proposal arrived at the ATP and its CEO Andrea Gaudenzi. In collaboration with the government, the Italian Tennis Association (Fit) wants to develop a plan to bring the final phase of the tournament to Milan. From a financial point of view, the Italians’ figures seem attractive: the tournament fee will go from the current 18 to 30 million dollars, the prize money will rise from 15 to 25 million dollars“.

Read also: Gaudenzi: «Tennis matches should not be shortened, the ones that have become epic are the longest»

There are therefore several possibilities that Milan will soon be announced as the new home of the ATP Finals. The Germans do not spare some doubts. “It is not yet clear whether the Italian government will actually make the funds available. They can make promises in Rome, as last year’s Ryder Cup demonstrated. In that period, important financial commitments were made to bring the most important golf tournament in the world to Italy. However, not all promises were fulfilled“.

Napolista ilnapolista © all rights reserved