The lucrative Diriyah Tennis Cup invitation tournament in Riyadh that has been branded “the latest jamboree in Saudi sports-washing” by human rights organisation Amnesty International is preparing for its second staging from December 8-10 following a three-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.
And more than one of those involved have been dragged into the controversies and morality debates that dog such sporting events in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and elsewhere – in this case the maverick Australian Nick Kyrgios, and this year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist and British No1 Cameron Norrie.
The 27-year-old Kyrgios, who reached his first grand slam final in London SW19 in July, is of course no stranger to adverse headlines with a catalogue of career fines for on-court misbehaviour that include abuse of opponents and officials, racquet-smashing, obscene gestures, expletive-laden rants and other unsportsmanlike conduct.
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And yet the top-ranked Aussie in both singles and doubles remains one of the biggest box office draws in tennis thanks to a sublime talent that has in no way been fulfilled when it comes to major trophies. It has led to an invitation accepted by Kyrgios, one that has seen the player bragging on social media about a “six-figure fee” to appear, with in addition the chance to scoop the US$1million first prize in the singles, with US$250,000 on offer to the winning doubles pair.
And Kyrgios is hardly heading to the Middle East with the full ringing endorsement of some of his fellow Aussie tennis professionals. The current world No22 was not part of the Australian Davis Cup team that reached the final of the recent Davis Cup in Spain, ultimately losing to Canada who boasted two top-20 players in Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov in their ranks. Alex De Minaur, ranked 24, led the Australians.
And a stand-off between Kyrgios and the Australian Federation that has lasted since 2019 and continues to see him snub his country is a source of frustration to many especially this time as it was perceived by almost all that he was in this case spending that time instead preparing for the Saudi event, when the team could really have done with his talents.
Team captain Lleyton Hewitt, asked if there was any chance of patching things up and insisting he had tried hard for a reconciliation, said: “I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. I can’t try any harder. I tried and came with the best possible team we could field.”
De Minaur said: “I have tried as well. It just wasn’t meant to be.” In response to a De Minaur Instagram post in which he claimed there was “no greater honour” than representing Australia, Kyrgios replied: “About to go to Saudi for six figures, actually.”
Elsewhere and not least in promotional material for the tournament that will also feature the 2019 winner Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Alex Zverev as well as Norrie, Kyrgios was playing down the money and human rights aspects.
He said: “I’m very curious to just, you know, go to a new place I’ve never been before and I’m going with my girlfriend so we’re very excited to see what it’s about. When I saw this opportunity to play, I didn’t even have to think twice. I love going to places where they don’t know so much about tennis and going there and trying to draw some attention and get them to enjoy it. When I retire from tennis, I want to know that I left a mark and made many new fans.”
“Also it’s a bonus for me to be able to play these matches and I’d love to use them to get a bit of a head start on everyone else [for 2023] that’s not able to play these matches.”
“At the start of 2022 I wanted to kind of reinvent myself on the tour. I really felt like I kind of lost my identity a little bit on the tennis circuit and this year, you know, I kind of reminded everyone that I’m still one of the best players in the world.”
Britain’s three-time grand slam winner Andy Murray stated at Wimbledon in 2022 that he would not go to Saudi Arabia to play over their poor human rights record – and that probably didn’t help Norrie deal with the questions coming his way.
Felix Jakens, Amnesty UK’s head of priority campaigns, said: “We were never going to be telling people like Cameron where they should or shouldn’t play, but by appearing in Diriyah, Cameron should realise he’s effectively being deliberately hired in to take part in the latest jamboree of Saudi sports-washing.
“What Saudi Arabia appears to look for with these competitions is a smiling high-profile sports star who will studiously avoid talking about human rights - Cameron should speak out.”
But Norrie said: “I’m not a politician and I don't feel it’s right for me to get involved with individual government politics. My job is to be a professional tennis player and this event in Saudi allows me to train with some of the best players in the world and to potentially win the Australian Open."
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