Podcast Summary: Served with Andy Roddick

Episode: QUICK SERVED: NEW MASTERS 1000 IN SAUDI ARABIA
Date: October 23, 2025
Host/Panel: Andy Roddick (Andy), Jon Wertheim (JW), Mike, Techie Sean

Episode Overview

This urgent "Quick Served" episode features Andy Roddick and his regular panel, reacting in real time to breaking news: the ATP Tour has officially announced a new, tenth Masters 1000 tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia, potentially debuting as early as 2028. The group dissects the implications for scheduling, the precedent set for non-mandatory Masters events, the ripple effects for existing tournaments (notably in South America and the Middle East), the escalating role of money and politics in tennis, and player opinions on tour burnout.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Breaking News: Saudi Masters 1000 Is Official

• Announcement Timing: JW reveals the long-rumored event is finally official, but key details are conspicuously absent—namely, when in the calendar this event will land.
  • Quote (JW, 01:29): “What was missing was almost as interesting as what was in there. When will this occur? That was not in the press release.”
• Calendar Context:
  • February is the likely window, with speculation this avoids overlap with the Australian Open but endangers the South American, Rotterdam, and Dallas events.

2. Non-Mandatory Status & Appearance Fees

• Game-changing Precedent: The Saudi event is reportedly non-mandatory—thus not contractually required for players, unlike other Masters 1000s.
  • Quote (Andy, 04:09): “If it’s non-mandatory…appearance fees are going to be massive and the players have a lot of leverage right now.”
• Player Leverage: Andy predicts “Wild West” negotiations, with top players poised for lucrative appearance fees as Saudi Arabia will demand star presence.

3. Impact on Existing Tournaments & The Calendar

• Buyback Fees & “Euthanizing” Tournaments:
  • The ATP may use infusion of Saudi cash to buy out (“euthanize”) smaller or less-viable tournaments to make calendar space.
  • Quote (JW, 06:09): “If there’s a buyback pool…wouldn’t obvious candidates be the tournaments held concurrently?”
• South America & Others at Risk: South American events and Dallas are highlighted as possibly threatened by the new event’s placement.

4. Tournament Structure & Gender Dynamics

• Size and Length Details:
  • Will be a 56-draw, one-week event—smaller and quicker than Indian Wells or Miami.
  • Quote (Andy, 07:19): “So that automatically lends itself to potentially not having women because you cannot play two tournaments simultaneously of a draw that size in that [one week].”
• Women’s Event Uncertainty: Logistics make a combined men’s/women’s event unlikely, especially with existing high-profile WTA events in the Gulf in February.

5. Rule Flexibility & Possible Chaos

• New Rules, New Precedents: The panel notes that creating a Masters "out of thin air" and designating it non-mandatory means traditional rules may not apply.
• Ongoing Vagaries:
  • ATP communications lack specifics, leading all to expect “dealing in vagaries for a while.” (Andy, 11:00)
  • Questions remain about ATP Media rights, co-scheduling with 500-level events, and overall governance consistency.

6. Money’s Role & Politics in Tennis

• Lucrative Expansion:
  • JW compares the new event to an “expansion team in pro sports,” pointing out other Masters events receive a fee for letting a new “franchise” join.
  • Quote (JW, 12:26): "The money is sloshing through...the other thousands are getting a fee by letting someone else in the club."
• Photo Op Missed: Discussion on the awkward timing of the announcement—top players had just left Saudi after exhibition events.

7. Player Perspectives on Schedule & Burnout

• Clips from Recent Press Conferences:
  • Casper Ruud (14:13):
    • Complains about too many mandatory events, lack of player choice, and considering skipping tournaments to preserve mental and physical health.
      • Quote: “To be honest, I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournament just to maintain my physical condition...mentally it is really demanding as well...” (14:56)
  • Yannick Sinner (15:54):
    • Laments a “never-ending” season with insufficient downtime, forced to skip events due to injury but penalized via the rankings.
      • Quote: “The solution is simple. You shorten the schedule...Players' careers are gonna get shorter and shorter because they’re just gonna burn out mentally.” (16:56)
  • Iga Swiatek (17:31):
    • Cautiously optimistic about sport’s potential to influence social change in Saudi, even while acknowledging accusations of sportwashing.
      • Quote: “...if they never start anywhere, I’m not sure if there will ever be a change. So I’ve chosen not to go so far. But it seems to me that it’s inevitable that they will...be big in tennis...” (18:09)
  • Ben Shelton (19:06):
    • Prefers short, one-week events, as the current overloaded multi-week format makes it hard for players (and fans) to keep track.
      • Quote: “I love the one week events...now I lost a little bit the view of when does actually a final is, you know, because it used to be always Sunday. Now here it’s Monday. In Toronto, it’s Wednesday or Thursday, you know, so it’s difficult even for us players. We lose a little bit the days of the week...” (19:29)

8. ATP Mandatory Schedule Explained

• Mike summarizes (20:35):
  • Top 30 must play all four Majors, 8 of 9 (soon 10) Masters 1000s, 5 ATP 500s, plus the ATP finals if qualified—totaling up to nearly 200 days of required competition.
• Andy (21:42):
  • Points out players can be contractually required to play events for which they may not even qualify if their ranking drops, highlighting system absurdities.
  • Quote: “There’s not even a guarantee that you’re in these fucking tournaments on your own rig. If you have a dumpster fire for six months…”

Key Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• JW (01:29): “What was missing was almost as interesting as what was in there. When will this occur? That was not in the press release.”
• Andy (04:09): “If it’s non-mandatory…appearance fees are going to be massive and the players have a lot of leverage right now.”
• JW (06:09): “If there’s a buyback pool…wouldn’t obvious candidates be the tournaments held concurrently?”
• Andy (07:19): “So that automatically lends itself to potentially not having women because you cannot play two tournaments simultaneously of a draw that size in that [one week].”
• JW (12:26): "The money is sloshing through...the other thousands are getting a fee by letting someone else in the club."
• Casper Ruud (14:56): “...I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournament just to maintain my physical condition...mentally it is really demanding as well...”
• Yannick Sinner (16:56): “The solution is simple. You shorten the schedule...Players' careers are gonna get shorter and shorter because they’re just gonna burn out mentally.”
• Iga Swiatek (18:09): “...if they never start anywhere, I’m not sure if there will ever be a change. So I’ve chosen not to go so far. But it seems to me that it’s inevitable that they will...be big in tennis...”
• Ben Shelton (19:29): “I love the one week events...now I lost a little bit the view of when does actually a final is...it’s difficult even for us players. We lose a little bit the days of the week...”
• Andy (21:42): “There’s not even a guarantee that you’re in these fucking tournaments on your own rig...you may not even qualify for.”
• JW (22:50): “We have seen the role of money in the sport and this obviously was a needle that had to be thread...So what do we do? We add a splashy event and try and cram it into February. Welcome to tennis, everyone.”

Closing Thoughts

• Summing Up the Irony (JW, 22:50): The pervasive theme is that while both money and burn-out are at all-time highs, tennis’ solution is to add another high-dollar, high-demand event.
• Andy on Communication (24:16): Wishes the ATP would speak plainly: if the Saudi cash is used to buy back tournament weeks and shorten the GRUELING calendar, just say it rather than trotting out generic “grow the game” talking points.

TL;DR:

A new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia is coming (likely in February), upending the tennis calendar and setting new precedents. The ATP’s vagueness, the rise of non-mandatory tournaments with sky-high appearance fees, and the threat to existing events prompt concern among players and pundits alike—especially as players cry out for a shortening of the sport's grueling schedule, not the opposite. Money is driving every decision, but whether it will actually benefit the players or the sport as a whole remains uncertain.