Massimo Calvelli, the ATP chief executive, called the new agreement “a major moment for tennis,” and the tour’s announcement touted ways in which it hopes the sport would continue to grow in Saudi Arabia.

“Our strategic partnership with PIF marks a major moment for tennis,” Calvelli said. “It’s a shared commitment to propel the future of the sport. With PIF’s dedication to the next generation – fostering innovation and creating opportunities for all – the stage is set for a transformative new period of progress.”

Tennis has been consumed lately by the debate over whether the sport should follow golf and others in making deals with the wealthy kingdom, where rights groups say women continue to face discrimination in most aspects of family life and homosexuality is a major taboo, as it is in much of the rest of the Middle East.

The WTA has been in negotiations to partner with Saudi Arabia, including possibly placing its season-ending WTA Finals there.

“As part of our plans to grow the value of women’s tennis, we regularly speak to both existing and potential commercial partners about possible new forms of collaboration. While we don’t rule anything out for the future, there is no new update at this time,” the WTA said.

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are among those who have urged women’s tennis to stay out of Saudi Arabia, while another former star player and Hall of Famer, equal rights pioneer Billie Jean King, has advocated for engagement.

In January, 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal was introduced as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. This month, plans were announced for Nadal, Novak Djokovic and four other stars of men’s tennis to participate in an exhibition event in Riyadh in October.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has worked to get himself out of international isolation since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He also clearly wants to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has enacted wide-ranging social reforms, including granting women the right to drive and largely dismantling male guardianship laws that had allowed husbands and male relatives to control many aspects of women’s lives.

Men and women are still required to dress modestly, but the rules have been loosened and the once-feared religious police have been sidelined. Gender segregation in public places has also been eased, with men and women attending film screenings, concerts and even raves – something unthinkable just a few years ago.

Still, same-sex relations are punishable by death or flogging, though prosecutions are rare. Authorities ban all forms of LGBTQ advocacy, even confiscating rainbow-coloured toys and clothing.