"I am not a politician" - Alexander Zverev welcomes Saudi Arabia's disruptive new ATP tournament and hopes it will lead to huge calendar change

Alexander Zverev has given his approval for the newly-announced Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia, which is set to enter the ATP calendar from 2028. Interestingly, the German is convinced that its addition could lead to a better calendar for tennis players.

Earlier this week, the ATP announced a new 10th Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia, drawing not-so-positive reactions from the tennis world. While the event will be non-mandatory for players, some like Andy Roddick have predicted that the appearance fee alone will encourage top stars to participate.

Speaking purely from the perspective of players, Zverev is of the opinion that he is more likely to play at the tournament, despite all the political ramifications of the tournament being held in the country. Saudi Arabia has drawn flak from the sports world for using large investments in athletics to 'sportswash' their image in the Western world, to turn attention away from the human rights violations levied against the Kingdom.

Speaking in his press conference at the ATP 500 event in Vienna, Alexander Zverev maintained that he, as someone who is not a politician, did not have strong feelings against visiting Saudi Arabia. The German, in fact, was of the opinion that the ATP should use the money they earn from the event to lessen the burden of the calendar instead.

"On political issues, it's not that the context is always the best, but they're trying to change. Three years ago I wasn't there, but this year I was, and it almost felt like a new country to me. I'm not a politician. If there's a Masters 1000 there, I'll play it," Alexander Zverev said.

"They've played in Dubai or Doha for 30 years, and I don't think there's been any problem. I can speak from what I know, which is tennis. The ATP should start using that money to give something back to the players," he added.

As a possible idea, Zverev was hoping that the season could get shortened by a couple of weeks if the ATP reduced the number of 250 and 500 events, therefore allowing players a longer off-season.

"If they promise us that with the money from the 10th Masters they'll buy back tournaments/weeks and thus shorten the season, that would be great for us, the players. If the season is shortened by 3 or 4 weeks and we don't have to play until the end of November or early December, but "only" until mid-November, that would be a great idea," Zverev said.

Zverev has currently reached the semifinals in Vienna, and is next taking on Lorenzo Musetti for a spot in the final.

Alexander Zverev played at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia this year

Erste Bank Open 2025 - Day 4 - Source: Getty

Alexander Zverev was just in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, for the Six Kings Slam. For losing in the first match, he was paid a handsome $1.5 million as prize money. The tournament was eventually won by Jannik Sinner, who took home an impressive $6 million.

In the press conference, Zverev stated that he 'enjoyed' his time in Saudi Arabia, adding that it was good to see how much the country was investing in sports as a whole.

"As for Saudi Arabia, I liked it, I really enjoyed being there. It's a country that's doing a lot in sport, and it's good to see, but I also want the ATP to take the next steps. Having three more weeks of preseason would be fantastic," Alexander Zverev said.

As of now, where the Saudi Arabia Masters 1000 event will be fixed in the ATP calendar is not confirmed. But it is expected to be in February during the Middle East Swing, when Qatar and Dubai are already hosting WTA 1000 events and smaller ATP tournaments.