ATP and Saudi PIF launch programme to support rising talent
- Eligible players will gain access to ATP Tennis IQ Powered by PIF
MADRID: The ATP and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) launched the ATP Next Gen Accelerator on Thursday, a programme aimed at supporting rising talent and widening opportunities for players from the Global South as they seek to break onto the ATP Tour.
Eligible players will gain access to ATP Tennis IQ Powered by PIF, an integrated performance technology platform, along with medical support, structured education and enhanced promotion across ATP platforms.
The initiative seeks to level the playing field for emerging players and provide greater stability for young professionals.
“We can’t just sit back there and just hope that the Rafas (Nadal) or Rogers (Federer) will just happen to come out, right? You can’t depend on luck all your life,” ATP chief executive Eno Polo told Reuters at the Madrid Open.
“This is a great programme to help accelerate that, and also because there’s a lot of places in the world where they don’t have the support of the federations that have structures.”
The launch aligns with PIF’s 2026–2030 strategy, under which the $925 billion sovereign wealth fund plans to focus investment across six key themes as it looks to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy beyond oil.
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