- The five-day tournament at King Abdullah Sports City begins on Wednesday 18 December
- Eight of the world’s best 20-and-under male tennis players will compete for the trophy
- Saudi Tennis Federation is aiming to inspire 1 million people to play tennis by 2030
- Past champions include ATP World Number 1 Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-: Jeddah is all set for five days of thrilling tennis action as the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF gets underway on Wednesday.
Held at King Abdullah Sports City from 18-22 December and featuring the eight best 20-and-under players on the ATP Tour, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF provides fans an incredible opportunity to watch the tennis stars of the future in action. Tickets are available and can be purchased on webook.com.
It will be the second year the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF are held in Jeddah as part of a five-year partnership between the ATP Tour and Saudi Tennis Federation (STF). The tournament, which made history in 2023 as the first professional tennis event staged in Saudi Arabia, plays a key role in the STF’s ambition to inspire 1 million into the sport by 2030.
The 2024 lineup is headlined by top seed Arthur Fils, who reached last year’s final and returns to Jeddah following an impressive season on the ATP Tour. The 20-year-old Frenchman won two ATP 500 titles this year and has reached a career-high No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Fils will be joined in the Blue Group by 19-year-old Jakub Mensik of Czech Republic, 19-year-old Learner Tien of the United States, and 18-year-old Joao Fonseca of Brazil.
The Red Group is led by second seed Alex Michelsen, the 20-year-old American who reached two ATP Tour finals in 2024 and sits at a career-high No. 41 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Michelsen has been drawn against 19-year-old Juncheng Shang of China, 20-year-old Lucan Van Assche of France, and 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy of the United States.
The group stage will be played in a round robin format, with the top two players from each group progressing to the knockout semi-finals. Group stage matches take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 2pm local time, while the evening sessions begin at 7pm. The semi-finals will then be held on Saturday from 7pm, with the final on Sunday scheduled to start at 8pm.
Wednesday’s action begins with a Red Group match as fourth seed Shang takes on sixth seed Van Assche, followed by an all-American battle between second seed Michelsen and seventh seed Basavareddy. The evening session sees the Blue Group take to the court, starting with third seed Mensik against fifth seed Tien, before first seed Fils faces eighth seed Fonseca.
The eventual winner will join an illustrious list of past champions, including current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, and 11-time ATP Tour winner Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF strongly align with the Saudi Tennis Federation’s goal of attracting 1 million people into tennis by 2030, while developing and nurturing young tennis talent in the Kingdom. Several initiatives have been launched to introduce the sport to more people, including the ‘Tennis For All’ program, in collaboration with the Saudi Sports For All Federation, which in 2023 saw 29,000 schoolchildren participate in tennis.
Arij Mutabagani, Saudi Tennis Federation president, said: “On the eve of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, we are thrilled to welcome the world’s top young tennis talents to Saudi Arabia.
“This event not only showcases the future stars of tennis but also aligns perfectly with our vision at the Saudi Tennis Federation to inspire 1 million people into tennis by 2030. We believe that witnessing these young stars in action will help to ignite a passion for tennis across our communities, encouraging many to pick up a racket and join the global tennis family.”
Fans in attendance for the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah can expect an exciting and fast-paced tournament. A unique scoring format, with sets lasting four games instead of the traditional six, ensures each match is packed with tension, while the introduction of new technologies bring the fans closer to the action than ever.