The current best Norwegian tennis player was not invited to the ongoing and grotesquely lucrative Six Kings Slam invitational tournament, unlike, among others, the former Danish prodigy Holger Rune. The Norwegian obviously intends to do something with that for the future. When Ruud first has to say something about developments in one of the world’s most brutal and repressive regimes, according to Amnesty and others, he curiously chooses the Danish website Spilxperten as his platform. “Of course they have a lot of money, and I know what I’m saying will probably be described as sports laundering, but it seems to me that their new leader Mohammed bin Salman is trying to do something, especially in sports. He might want to change the country and maybe make it a little more Western. That athletes travel there could lead to a change, who knows?”, says Ruud, according to the website. PARTNERS: Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal have played together a lot. In Saudi Arabia, only Nadal is invited. Photo: ADAM IHSE / AFP The future lies in Saudi Arabia The site is in place in Stockholm, where Ruud is currently playing the not quite financially profitable tournament that was once called the Stockholm Open. The first prize there is in excess of one million kroner, otherwise an increase of 2.5 per cent from last year. In the tournament in Riyadh, the winnings you take with you are a minimum of NOK 16.5 million. This is the guaranteed sum just for participation for each of the six selected, which in addition to the aforementioned Dane includes the very biggest names that tennis can offer among the men: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and not least Rafael Nadal, in in what appears to be his final, albeit unofficial, singles tournament. DANISH PARTICIPATION: Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. The Danish tennis player was among the six selected. Photo: Reuters The winner of Saturday’s final will receive an insane 66 million Norwegian kroner, almost double what you get for winning a Grand Slam tournament. However, you do not get any points on the official ATP ranking for being successful in the Saudi Arabian capital. But nobody cares about that. For the kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula, fantasy sums are paid to reinforce the main message: the future of tennis lies in Saudi Arabia. Political top spin It is not the first time Ruud has made a political statement. Most recently, last week he criticized the Norwegian government’s tax policy in an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, reproduced by DN. And kudos to him for actually doing it. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the content. For a Casper Ruud who dares to have opinions in public is seen from the outside a much more interesting Casper Ruud. Especially when he knows it will also cause noise. Like now. Ruud has previously expressed skepticism about Saudi Arabia’s powerful foray into the sport of tennis. To the extent that he has refused to participate in similar tournaments in the country. This skepticism is thus no longer present to the same extent. Because Ruud has seen which way the development of tennis is blowing. And that’s with the desert sand. Women’s match in Riyadh This will become even more clear in two weeks. Then it is to the highest degree official honor and glory that is at stake in the golf state – like that, in addition to a lot of money. Because it is one thing to put such an obscene amount of money on the table in an exhibition tournament that the world’s biggest stars allow themselves to be tempted away from morals and muscle wear and tear to participate. Another thing is to put a prestigious end to the entire tennis year by organizing the so-called WTA finals. W as in Women, that is. Saudi Arabia as host of the women’s season finale. You don’t have to go back long before this would have appeared as the perfect irony. PARTICIPANT: World number one Iga Swiatek is among the participants who will play the WTA final. Photo: AFP But in April this year, an agreement was signed that the kingdom will be the organizer for three years. And at the same time promised to increase the prize money by almost 70 per cent from last year. The women’s own tennis organization was otherwise founded by the legendary Billie Jean King back in 1973 with the aim of promoting equality in tennis, something they managed to contribute to very early on. Since then, women’s tennis has been a very progressive arena for both equal rights and openness when it comes to sexual orientation. Now they have laid the Christmas table for Riyadh. “Seems very naive” After taking over control of the entire sport of golf, organizing several of the most lucrative World Cup matches in pro boxing and luring some of football’s biggest names to the country, tennis is on its way to yielding to the powerful crown prince and his plan to modernize the kingdom, including through sports. The Crown Prince, who has now also received a surprisingly clear declaration of confidence from Snarøya’s best tennis player. Who in the interview with the Danish website deepens his understanding of what will come of reactions: “I know very well that I may seem very naive by saying this, because people will just say that it is sports washing, which covers up what is really going on . But if they never start somewhere, I’m not sure if they’ll ever make a change.” At least with Casper Ruud, the change is already obvious. Published 17.10.2024, at 20.39 Updated 17.10.2024, at 20.54
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