Saudi Tennis Federation President Arij Mutabagani cannot stop smiling as she reflects on the recently concluded Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah 鈥� the first officially sanctioned tennis tournament to take place in the Kingdom.

鈥淚 think I鈥檓 still dreaming,鈥� Mutabagani told Arab News. 鈥淚 have to say that 萝莉视频 made history with this event, because it鈥檚 the first event under the umbrella of the ATP (to be staged here).

鈥淎nd I think to start it off with a next-generation event, it鈥檚 very close to us and it makes a lot of sense because our population is very young. So, this is the perfect way to inspire our young youth to start playing tennis and to get to know the sport.鈥�

The sixth edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals, a tournament that features eight of the best players on tour aged 21 and under, made its debut in 萝莉视频 last week and saw Serbia鈥檚 Hamad Medjedovic clinch the title with a high-quality five-set victory over French teenager Arthur Fils in front of a capacity crowd at King Abdullah Sports City鈥檚 indoor arena.

The feedback from all the players has been very positive, with many taking great pride in playing a role in promoting tennis to a new audience in 萝莉视频.

鈥淚t means a lot. Seeing some very, very little guy in the crowd enjoying the show, it鈥檚 very nice and I hope they鈥檙e going to play tennis and be very, very good,鈥� Fils told Arab News in Jeddah.

鈥淚 think here, they have good players, but they don鈥檛 have any elite players in the top 100, so I hope this is going to change. Let鈥檚 see what happens in the future, but if some young guys can play and be very, very good, I really hope to see that.鈥�

Daniel Vallverdu, co-tournament director of the Next Gen ATP Finals, said the event had gone 鈥渋ncredibly well鈥� and hailed the efforts made by the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Tennis Federation to put it all together in a short time frame.

He added that opting to host the Next Gen Finals as the first official tennis tournament in the Kingdom was 鈥�100 percent the right strategy鈥� as opposed to starting with a bigger event like a Masters 1000.

鈥淲hen you start bringing big names, you have a strong impact right away, but if there鈥檚 not continuity to it, the interest drops and then basically you did it for nothing,鈥� said Vallverdu.

鈥淔or me, there鈥檚 two components. The first one is the connection between the Next Gen and the young population in Saudi. I think it鈥檚 the right message.

鈥淭he second one is it鈥檚 a real partnership with the tour, which is what the federation wanted to do. You鈥檙e taking on an officially owned ATP event. So you鈥檙e working with the ATP to deliver the event; it鈥檚 not like you鈥檙e taking an event on your own and then you鈥檙e delivering a 250 or a 500-level tournament on your own with no connection to the ATP.

鈥淗ere, it鈥檚 a real partnership, which is a message the federation wanted to send, to show that willingness and idea to work with the tours. They鈥檙e trying to work the same way with the WTA and hopefully some positive news will come out at some point.鈥�

Indeed, the Next Gen ATP Finals is just the start when it comes to the Kingdom鈥檚 involvement with tennis. The prestigious year-end WTA Finals is expected to be the next major sports event heading Saudi鈥檚 way, and Mutabagani said that there could be more in the pipeline.

鈥淲e鈥檙e still in talks with the WTA. Nothing is final, nothing is set. We鈥檙e trying to find what鈥檚 the best way to collaborate with the WTA; whether it鈥檚 the Finals, whether it鈥檚 other tournaments. We鈥檙e in great discussions and things are moving along. So, we鈥檙e very optimistic,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e still hoping that next year we can have a combined Next Gen event with the females. So it would be male under 21 and female under 21. I think that would be great to inspire female tennis players here.鈥�

There have been rumblings about 萝莉视频鈥檚 desire to host a Masters 1000 event, but Mutabagani believes taking things one step at a time is the best way to grow the sport locally and foster a strong relationship with the major stakeholders in tennis.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream, of course, if we can get an ATP 1000. Everybody dreams of that 鈥� that鈥檚 like the top of the pyramid,鈥� she added.

鈥淏ut I think we鈥檙e moving slowly, gradually and building it up slowly. That鈥檚 the best way to go. And if it comes, sure, why not? But if it doesn鈥檛, we鈥檒l still keep going and hopefully we鈥檙e building this good relationship and long-term relationship and partnership with the ATP, with the WTA, with the ITF, so I think we鈥檙e in a good position, but everything has to take its time.鈥�

Mutabagani deemed the first staging of the Next Gen Finals in Jeddah a resounding success, noting that getting the event off the ground and bringing the men鈥檚 professional tour to 萝莉视频 is in itself an achievement.

She acknowledged the low attendance figures for the opening few sessions of the five-day tournament but believes the event will attract a wider audience in upcoming editions, with Jeddah set to host the event through 2027.

鈥淵es, the attendance wasn鈥檛 as expected, but it鈥檚 only normal. It鈥檚 a new sport in 萝莉视频, so that鈥檚 expected. And now we know what we have to do and how to promote it even better and how to encourage people by having different programs; the federation will work on them and promote tennis in general and put more light on it and kind of encourage people.鈥�

Working on grassroots initiatives and building a healthy calendar of tennis tournaments at the junior and lower levels will be key for 萝莉视频 to capitalize on the Next Gen Finals and create a lasting tennis culture across the Kingdom.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty confident the passion for tennis here is going to grow but I know it鈥檚 going to take time,鈥� said Saudi鈥檚 number one tennis player Ammar Al-Hogbani, who served as one of the resident hitting partners for the players during the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Al-Hogbani, who played college tennis at the University of Virginia, works with the Saudi Tennis Federation as the national teams development officer but is also keen on reviving his own playing career.

鈥淔ootball has been king for so long so it鈥檚 hard to drive away the focus from that but right now there鈥檚 a huge push in other sports and tennis is considered a priority sport,鈥� said the 24-year-old.

鈥淪o, we鈥檙e seeing different initiatives going on. We鈥檝e implemented with the Sports For All Federation and the Saudi Tennis Federation a Tennis For All program that鈥檚 implemented into schools, so that鈥檚 getting around 30,000 kids touching a racket. It鈥檚 implemented in the curriculum. So, with that, there鈥檚 a big push.

鈥淎nd then we had junior ITFs last year, I was the tournament director, the first girls鈥� and boys鈥� ITFs happened, and then two more this year in Riyadh. And obviously we had the first participation in the Billie Jean King Cup. So, Saudi is moving in fifth gear.

鈥淚 see it growing in the next five to 10 years; tennis is a medium to long-term sport, and also you need role models to look up to.鈥�

Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh was given a wildcard to compete in the Next Gen Finals, and produced some great performances before exiting the tournament with one victory and two losses in the round-robin stage.

Vallverdu described Shelbayh as 鈥渢he highlight of the tournament鈥� and his presence as a young Arab star in the making as particularly inspiring for the Saudi boys and girls in attendance.

鈥淚 think he鈥檚 been incredible,鈥� said Vallverdu of the 20-year-old Shelbayh, who broke the top 200 in the world rankings for the first time last month.

鈥淥bviously, to see someone from the region doing so well, it鈥檚 special; that鈥檚 what drives interest and participation. Of course, having someone like him, someone like (Tunisian star) Ons Jabeur, that鈥檚 a given that you can鈥檛 buy that. These players doing well is going to help federations grow the sport quicker.

鈥淗aving Abdullah here was the right decision. Thankfully, the ATP decided to give him the wildcard and I think it鈥檚 paid off really well not only for the event, but also for all the neighboring countries to have someone like him doing well at an ATP event here. For me, he鈥檚 been the highlight of the event.鈥�

Mutabagani highlighted some of the plans and initiatives that are in the works, which would hopefully one day result in having Saudi tennis players competing at the highest level in the sport.

鈥淒efinitely, we want to promote tennis more. We鈥檙e working with the Ministry of Sport on developing more training facilities because eventually we will start hosting more junior tournaments at a lower level so our players can participate,鈥� she said.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 ITF under 18, or Challengers or Futures, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tournaments; this way we start building the potential in our youth and eventually maybe one day we will see them playing one of these Next Gen events. Maybe not in the next five years but it鈥檚 good to dream.鈥�