By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Friday, October 20, 2024
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will earn profitable paydays—and take up some criticism—squaring off a December exhibition.
In a rematch of the Wimbledon ultimate, Alcaraz will face Djokovic within the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup, an exhibition set for December twenty seventh in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Extra: Slumping Rune Despatched Packing
The pair be part of Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, who will face off on December twenty eighth.
Each matches will probably be held in Kingdom Area, which was constructed and furnished with state-of-the-art know-how in simply 60 days. With a capability to accommodate over 40,000 guests, the venue has been purposefully designed to host worldwide occasions, together with the opening night time’s worldwide boxing bout throughout the Riyadh Season on October 28.
Some skeptics query why Djokovic, who has been vital of the ATP increasing some Masters 1000 occasions, would play an exhibition simply weeks forward of his Australian Open title protection. Others say Alcaraz, who opted out of Spain’s current Davis Cup competitors citing the size of the schedule, is placing his physique in danger a 12 months after he missed the 2023 Australian Open as a consequence of harm.
Saudi Arabia continues to put money into tennis and negotiate for Tour occasions. Some champions level to the nation’s human rights violations, the actual fact similar intercourse exercise for each women and men is prohibited in Saudi Arabia and the blow again golf has incurred with its partnership with the Kingdom as causes tennis mustn’t do enterprise with the nation.
“I suppose it is solely pure. Sadly it is like cash talks,” John McEnroe stated. “That is all that issues. However I do not suppose that is all that issues.
“Ultimately you get purchased out. It is like in some unspecified time in the future somebody will provide an excessive amount of.
“I do not know why within the hell tennis would abruptly be, Let’s speak to the Saudis after the debacle that you simply’re watching in golf. To me it is comical that it is even being introduced up proper now. A pun: Par for the course.”
Photograph credit score: Matthew Stockman/Getty
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