RIYADH: The Kingdom will once again host international tennis stars as they compete for the title at the Diriyah Tennis Cup championship which will be held on Dec. 8-10, as part of the second edition of Diriyah Season.

The tournament, which has not been held for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is back on the international sport scene, and will take place in the historic Diriyah square, one of the most famous heritage sites in the world which was listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, sports minister and chair of the Diriyah Season Committee said: “As the host of international tennis stars, the Kingdom continues to show its excellence in hosting international sports events, which has made it home to various sports, including this event – in which international stars will participate – that we are happy to organize.”

He continued: “The 2019 Diriyah Tennis Cup achieved great success which attracted thousands of fans from the Kingdom and abroad, and in this edition, we look forward to continuing these accomplishments and watching great competitive games in historic Diriyah, in the presence of fans of tennis, a sport that is highly popular in the Kingdom.”

Some of the most prominent stars who will participate in the tournament, including Russian Daniil Medvedev, winner of the 2019 edition, currently ranked world No. 4 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP); Medvedev won his first grand slam title at the US Open in 2021 in New York.

German Alexander Zverev will also attend, who won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, currently ranked world No.3 (singles); Zverev is the winner of the second Nitto ATP Finals title in 2021, in Turin, Italy.

Austrian Dominic Thiem who was ranked as world No. 3 in singles by the ATP and the winner of the grand slam title at the US Open 2020, and French Gaël Monfils who was previously ranked as world No. 6 in singles by the ATP in 2016 and won eleven international titles, will also play.

The second edition of the Diriyah Season will host top international championships, starting with the Longines Global Champions Tour, an individual show jumping series, the Diriyah Tennis Cup, the basketball FIBA 3×3 World Tour, along with the Diriyah Season competition where Al-Hilal Saudi team will face Newcastle United, and the Italian Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) where AC Milan will face Inter Milan.