Australia touted as short-term solution for Middle East swing with Plan B in the works
The ATP and WTA are currently drawing up plans to relocate February's Middle East swing due to the ongoing war and conflict in the region, with Australia viewed as a possible destination.
Exclusively reported by journalist James Gray, tennis authorities are scrambling to ditch Dubai and Doha, which are scheduled to host events after January's Australian Open, given the security risks and potential logistical implications.
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In February, a group of 40 players, including Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, were stranded in Dubai as a result of missile strikes in the United Arab Emirates in the final days of the tournament.
The i Paper has been told that Singapore and Australia have been mooted as possible replacement hosts for the WTA events, but neither is believed to have made a formal approach. It is thought ATP bosses would prefer to switch the tournaments to Europe, but there are no immediately forthcoming options.
Singapore is already hosting a WTA 500 event later this month, which was scaled up from a 250-tier tournament.
The biggest challenge will be finding a suitable location for the WTA tournaments, because they are classified as 1000-tier events and require more infrastructure to accommodate a 56-player singles field and 28 teams for doubles in both main draws.
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Despite the threats, Saudi Arabia is still hosting the Six Kings Slam exhibition, featuring Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alex Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, with each participant guaranteed AUD$2.1 million for showing up.
From a Saudi point of view, it is hoped that a successful event will increase the Middle East's chances of hosting tournaments in February 2027.
Earlier this year, the WTA walked away from a deal with Saudi Arabia to host the WTA Finals with one year remaining on its contract due to uncertainty involving conflict in the region.
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