The world’s top players are set to compete in the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia next month. From Dec. 8 to 10, the second tournament will once again be held in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located outside Riyadh.
There will be 12 players competing in both singles and doubles over the three days of the $3 million invitational event, which is played outdoors in a purpose-built arena.
The first professional doubles tournament to be held in the Kingdom will be a unique experience. On day one, losers will start their own doubles tournament after the singles matches are concluded.
World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, who won the inaugural event in 2019, is returning to defend his title to complete a year in which the 2021 US Open champion became world No. 1 for the first time.
Alexander Zverev will make his return from injury at the Saudi Open in Diriyah after missing the Roland-Garros tournament this year because of an injury.
Cameron Norrie has been ranked No. 1 in Britain, and Andrey Rublev has been ranked No. 7 in the world.
This year, Rublev has won three ATP tournaments, and world No. 14 Norrie has won two ATP tournaments in addition to making it to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Dominic Thiem, who once ranked third in the world, as well as staunch supporter Stan Wawrinka, are both competing in the tournament.
The Diriyah Tennis Cup is one of the events that makes up the Diriyah Season, a four-month marathon of sports, entertainment, and cultural activities.
Image Credit: Amr Nabil/AP
