With all due respect, the 2026 Qatar Open hasn’t exactly been a rip-roaring success…
Before the tournament began, four former Grand Slam champions withdrew.
When Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Marketa Vondrousova, and Madison Keys skipped the event, the Qatar Open lost some serious star power.
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Then, some of the biggest names that did compete lost their opening matches in Doha: Emma Raducanu, Alexandra Eala, Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff.
All of the above have contributed to some pretty shocking attendances at the year’s first WTA 1000 tournament.
The crowd was alarmingly sparse for Karolina Pliskova and Karolina Muchova’s third-round match, but empty seats have been commonplace in Doha.
It’s not just Doha that experiences low attendances, though, as several Middle-Eastern tournaments suffer the same fate.
And that’s what should worry the ATP Tour, as they prepare to introduce a flagship Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia.
The ATP Tour has work to do if they want Saudi Arabian tournament to sell out
The first-ever Saudi Arabian Masters 1000 tournament is expected to be played in 2028.
It will become the 10th Masters 1000 event, and the first based in the Middle East.
Provisional 2028 Masters 1000 calendar
| Event | Country | Surface | Record champion(s) |
| Indian Wells | USA | Hard | Novak Djokovic/Roger Federer (5) |
| Miami Open | USA | Hard | Novak Djokovic/Andre Agassi (6) |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | France | Clay | Rafael Nadal (11) |
| Madrid Open | Spain | Clay | Rafael Nadal (5) |
| Italian Open | Italy | Clay | Rafael Nadal (10) |
| Canadian Open | Canada | Hard | Ivan Lendl (6) |
| Cincinnati Open | USA | Hard | Roger Federer (7) |
| Shanghai Masters | China | Hard | Novak Djokovic (4) |
| Paris Masters | France | Hard (Indoor) | Novak Djokovic (7) |
| Saudi Arabian Masters | Saudi Arabia | – | – |
While some events listed above sell out every year, it’s hard to imagine the Saudi Arabian event experiencing the same fan support.
Other Middle-Eastern events on the ATP Tour, such as the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships, often struggle to fill seats, especially in earlier rounds.
It’s tough to pinpoint the exact reason why, although some believe there just isn’t a big enough appeal for tennis in those countries.
They aren’t helped by a lack of ‘home-grown’ talent either.
At the 2025 Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships, not one local wild card won a match.
Local players struggle in the Middle East
| Player | Country | Match |
| Ergi Kirkin | Turkey | Qatar Open Q1 [LOSS] vs Botic van de Zandschulp |
| Mubarak Shannan Zayid | Qatar | Qatar Open Q1 [LOSS] vs Quentin Halys |
| Aziz Dougaz | Tunisia | Qatar Open 1R [LOSS] vs Fabian Marozsan, Dubai Tennis Championships 1R [LOSS] vs Zizou Bergs |
| Hady Habib | Lebanon | Qatar Open 1R [LOSS] vs Christopher O’Connell, Dubai Tennis Championships 1R [LOSS] vs Alexei Popyrin |
| Abedallah Shelbayh | Jordan | Qatar Open 1R [LOSS] vs Botic van de Zandschulp |
| Abdulrahman Al Janahi | UAE | Dubai Tennis Championships Q1 [LOSS] vs Christopher O’Connell |
If local fans aren’t seeing anyone from the area winning matches, it’s hard for them to become invested.
There’s no better evidence to this point than the case study of Eala.
The Filipina began winning matches on the WTA Tour, and now an army of fans following her around the world.
Despite losing in the first round, there’s a fair argument to suggest that Eala’s fans were the loudest and most engaged at the Qatar Open.
It’s no surprise that attendances have dropped since she exited the competition.
That’s certainly something for the ATP Tour to think about between now and the inaugural Saudi Arabian Masters.
If Saudi Arabian fans can see one of their own, winning matches on tour before the tournament begins, perhaps they’ll be more likely to turn up…
What have WTA stars said about Saudi Arabian fans?
Saudi Arabia already has a ‘big’ tennis tournament.
The WTA Finals were moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2024.
Coco Gauff won the title, and while attendances were impressive for her Championship win against Qinwen Zheng, numbers weren’t great earlier in the week.
There was, however, a significant improvement at the 2025 event.
During the tournament, America’s Jessica Pegula shared her thoughts on the Saudi fans.
“Definitely coming from last year, I think the crowds have been a lot more loud, cheering a lot more,” said Pegula.
“Hearing a lot of chants, a lot of yelling of both of our names, which makes it really fun for us.
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“I know you don’t get to see a ton of tennis in this area, but I hope that we can continue to grow this sport here; it’s been really fun to be a part of that.”
Poland’s Iga Swiatek also noticed a change in the fans at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
“I see you guys are a bigger quantity than last year,” said Swiatek.
“I’m happy that I can play in front of you, and I’m happy that the tournament is developing, and I feel we can do a lot in terms of making tennis more popular and giving more opportunities in countries where they weren’t available before.”
If Swiatek and Pegula are right, then perhaps the ATP Tour won’t have anything to worry about after all…
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