JEDDAH, December 18, 2025 (Media Release)
As the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF continue to deliver show-stopping tennis in Jeddah, two of Saudi Arabia’s own tennis stars arrived in the city to lend their support to inspiring the next generation of local talent.
Saud Alhogbani and Abdulmajeed Bukhari, both members of the history-making Saudi Davis Cup team, attended Day 2 on Thursday, when second seed Alexander Blockx became the first player from the Red Group to reach the semi-finals, before fifth seed Nicolai Budkov Kjær joined the Belgian in the final four from the Blue Group.
On Friday, Alhogbani and Bukhari will join sports icon – and Saudi Tennis Federation Ambassador – Rafael Nadal at a coaching clinic on Friday, where more than 25 local teenaged players will be mentored by one of the sport’s greatest ever players.
Alhogbani, the Saudi Number Two and ranked behind only older brother Ammar, was a prodigious junior in the United States. At age 14, he created history as the youngest player to represent – and win a match – for Saudi Arabia in the Davis Cup. He also holds the record for longest win streak for Saudi in the Davis Cup with eight consecutive victories.
Now a full-time professional and a hero to young aspiring Saudi players, the 22-year-old is delighted to witness, and be part of, tennis’ transformation in his country.
Alhogbani said: “I remember first coming to the Kingdom, we were struggling to find a court or people to play with. We would be driving an hour just to find a court. And now just looking at how much tennis has progressed in the past five years is huge.”
That progress is being driven by the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF), with ambitions to inspire more people into the sport and strengthen the overall tennis ecosystem in the Kingdom. This is being achieved through the hosting of elite events such as the Next Gen ATP Finals, community programs to encourage participation, and player development pathways.
Since the Next Gen ATP Finals made history in 2023 as the first professional tennis tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia, the WTA Finals presented by PIF have moved to Riyadh until 2026 in a three-year deal and from 2028 an ATP Masters 1000 event will take up permanent residency in the Kingdom.
In addition to welcoming the sport’s biggest stars, programs such as ‘Tennis for All’, in partnership with ‘Sports for All’, have taken tennis across Saudi Arabia, and in 2025, it introduced the sport to more than 53,000 children. There has also been a 24% increase in female participation in the 12 months between the 2024 and 2025 WTA Finals.
Alhogbani, who conducted the coin toss for top seed Learner Tien’s victory against fourth seed Martin Landaluce, added: “Now we’re starting to put tennis into schools, which is something very important, like how the US does it. And now that we’re have a lot more courts, it’s starting to become a sport that people want to do now in the Kingdom. There is such huge ambition for all sports here, and Tennis is a key one.”
Inspiring the next generation of Saudi players is an important mission for both Alhogbani and Bukhari, who sits just behind his Davis Cup teammate in the national rankings in third. Bukhari is a former NCAA Division I player who is currently studying for his Master’s degree in France.
Once he graduates in April, he plans to join the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour, commonly known as the ‘Futures’ Tour. Alongside his own tennis ambitions, the 26-year-old wants to provide a good example for the next generation of Saudi talent coming through.
Bukhari, 26, said: “That’s one of the reasons I’m still playing. We didn’t have many examples in Saudi of players actively competing around my age when I was growing up. One of my goals is to inspire the next generation, to be an example that’s close to them, and to share my experiences of competing at this level. Hopefully I can inspire a few kids to pick up the sport and maybe go even further than I have.”
The Next Gen ATP Finals continue with the final round of group-stage matches on Friday. First up from 2pm is the Red Group clash between Nishesh Basavareddy and Justin Engel, followed by Alexander Blockx against Dino Prižmić. The evening session will begin from 7pm, starting with the all-Spanish showdown between Martin Landaluce and Rafel Jodar, before Learner Tien and Nicolai Budkov Kjær close the show.
Tickets for the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals can be purchased here.
