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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons

PIF sources deny it has made $2bn ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer to unite tennis tours

A tennis court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
A tennis court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be named as the new host of the end-of-season finals for the WTA and ATP tours. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has distanced itself from reports that it has made a $2bn (£1.5bn) “take-it-or-leave-it” offer to unite tennis’s ATP and WTA Tours, insisting it has no intention of disrupting the sport.

According to the Telegraph, the chairman of the men’s Association of Tennis Professionals, Andrea Gaudenzi, briefed representatives of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on Saturday in California about the bid, which would merge his organisation and the Women’s Tennis Association. Gaudenzi is said to have informed them that an offer had arrived from PIF that was “time-sensitive” giving all concerned 90 days to accept.

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