John Isner recently expressed his thoughts on the ATP’s decision to launch a new Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia, slated to begin in 2028. He also pondered about the top players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s participation in the tournament.
Saudi Arabia will host the 10th ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year, joining the existing nine tournaments: the Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, Italian Open, Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, Shanghai Masters, and Paris Masters.
What Did John Isner Say About Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Competing at the New Masters 1000 Tournament in Saudi Arabia?
The ATP and SURJ Sports Investment, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company, collaborated to establish the new Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to run for one week, with February being a potential month for its staging. The country has been hosting other tennis events, including the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah since 2023 and the WTA Finals in Riyadh since 2024.
In a recent episode of the ‘Nothing Major Show’ podcast, Isner expressed confusion regarding the timeline for the new Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia. He also criticized the concept of a “non-mandatory” Masters 1000 tournament, calling it “ridiculous.”
“We’re adding a 10th Master series. We’re just sandwiching, just putting it in February or putting it somewhere in January or February in Saudi Arabia. Is it before Australia? Is it after Australia? It’s likely not going to be before Australia. Craig Tiley is not going to like that, right? It’s not mandatory. That’s ridiculous. All these other Masters tournaments are mandatory,” Isner said.
The former World No. 8 stated that it would be “completely ridiculous” if the tournament organizers set the winner’s prize purse at $5 million to encourage participation.
Isner also questioned why players like Sinner and Alcaraz would be interested in participating in a “non-mandatory” tournament immediately following the Australian Open. Isner speculated that top players might receive “under the table” appearance fees to participate in the event.
“You can’t just make the prize money $5 million for the winner. Indian Wells tried to do that years ago, and the Tour said no because Miami couldn’t do it. It’s completely ridiculous. How can you make it non-mandatory? Why would Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz play a non-mandatory 1000 after the Australian Open? Why would they play it? Are they going to offer appearance fees or they can’t? The whole thing is completely under the table, right?” he continued.
Isner stated that for Sinner and Alcaraz to play in a non-mandatory event after the Australian Open would be “absurd.” He mentioned that there are many more questions than answers surrounding the new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia, and that it currently makes “no sense.”
“For Sinner and Alcaraz to play a non-mandatory event after the Australian Open would be absurd. Let’s assume they play in the finals, there’s no reason at all for them to play a 1000 event in Saudi Arabia in February, where the winner gets 1.2 million. You would logically think that there’s going to be appearance fees under the table for these guys to come show up and play. It’s completely ridiculous. There are way more questions than answers right now. It makes no sense,” Isner added.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz and Sinner are in Paris for the 2025 Paris Masters, where they are the top two seeds. They will begin their campaigns in the second round after receiving first-round byes.
Alcaraz’s first match will be against Cameron Norrie, with the winner advancing to face either wild card Arthur Rinderknech or wild card Valentin Vacherot in the third round. Sinner will face Zizou Bergs in the second round, with that winner going on to compete against either 17th seed Francisco Cerúndolo or Miomir Kecmanović in the third round.
