The Gulf’s leading venues now combine elite competition, athlete training, hospitality and international event exposure. However, the market remains concentrated around a small group of established centres. That concentration is beginning to shift.
Dubai and Doha remain the region’s anchors
The Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai hosts the ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships. Its position within Dubai’s hospitality market supports strong links between professional sport, premium travel and corporate events.
In Doha, the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex hosts WTA and ATP tournaments, typically in consecutive weeks in February; the WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open is a WTA 1000 event. The back-to-back format maximises venue utilisation and sustains audience momentum across both tours.
Saudi Arabia expands the elite pipeline
Qiddiya City’s planned National Tennis Centre represents the region’s most ambitious single facility. The planned Qiddiya National Tennis Centre is reported to include 30 courts—28 hard courts and two clay courts—designed to ATP, WTA and ITF specifications. Centre Court will seat 15,000 spectators under a retractable roof.
Supporting infrastructure is reported to include an 8,000-seat multi-use arena, a 5,000-seat Court 1 and a 2,000-seat Court 2. Practice courts and indoor facilities complete the footprint. An adjacent 18-hole championship golf course designed by Sir Nick Faldo is reported to be nearing completion for a scheduled opening later in 2026. That combination broadens Qiddiya’s appeal to sports tourists, hospitality operators and corporate clients simultaneously.
What does the WTA Finals departure mean for investors?
However, this transition does not reduce Saudi Arabia’s presence on the global tennis calendar. It shifts focus toward new venues, recurring tournaments and longer-term infrastructure returns.
For investors, the opportunity extends well beyond court construction. Meanwhile, Gulf governments continue to treat sports infrastructure as a tool for tourism growth and economic diversification.
Quick answers
Dubai hosts the ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre. Doha hosts both a WTA 1000 event and an ATP tournament at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, typically in consecutive weeks each February.
The Qiddiya National Tennis Centre is a planned 30-court facility in Saudi Arabia, built to ATP, WTA and ITF standards, featuring a 15,000-seat Centre Court with a retractable roof and an adjacent Nick Faldo-designed golf course scheduled to open in 2026.
Yes. The WTA Finals move to Charlotte from 2027 after a final Riyadh edition in 2026, but Saudi Arabia continues to develop new venues and recurring tournaments, with Qiddiya’s National Tennis Centre positioned as the flagship future host site.
