Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

The joint venture of French contractor Bouygues Batiment International and Saudi Arabia’s Almabani General Contractors has begun construction of the recently announced National Tennis Centre, located within Qiddiya City on the outskirts of Riyadh.

The complex’s main attraction is the Centre Court, which will have 15,000 seats and a retractable roof, and is designed to meet the standards of the Association of Tennis Professionals, the Women’s Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation.

The centre’s specifications are:

• 30 tennis courts in total (28 hard courts, two clay courts)
• Centre Court: 15,000 seats, retractable roof
• Court 1: 5,000 seats
• Court 2: 2,000 seats
• Court 3 (Arena): 8,000 seats; multi-use arena for sport, concerts and major events; retractable roof
• Outdoor match courts: 450 seats per court
• Court mix: six competition/match courts; six indoor courts; 14 practice courts (including clay)
• Total seating across the complex: 33,000

The complex is designed by the US-based architectural firm Populous.

The project was officially announced by Saudi gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) on 15 June. 

In a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, QIC said the National Tennis Centre will be the region’s largest tennis complex and will host some of the world’s highest-profile events.

QIC’s other major projects include an e-sports arena, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports track, a racecourse, the Dragon Ball and Six Flags theme parks, and Aquarabia.

QIC opened the Six Flags theme park to the public in December last year.

The park covers 320,000 square metres and features 28 rides and attractions, including 10 thrill rides and 18 aimed at families and young children.

The Qiddiya project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom.