The developer said the project will be led by a joint venture of Bouygues Bâtiment International, based in France, and Saudi Arabia-based Almabani General Contractors under a design-build contract. Populous is serving as lead architect, lead interior designer and lead masterplanner.

Thornton Tomasetti is structural and facade engineer, Langan is civil and geotechnical engineer, ME Engineers is MEP consultant, AESG is sustainability consultant and STRI is sports-surface consultant. Construction began with early works in February 2025, according to Qiddiya.

The National Tennis Centre will include a 15,000-seat center court, a 5,000-seat court, a 2,000-seat court and an 8,000-seat arena. 

High-Performance Training Center Planned

According to the developer's website, the facility will contain 28 hard courts and two clay courts, a high-performance training center and gym, hydrotherapy and physiotherapy suites, athlete recovery and wellness spaces, player lounges, dedicated changing facilities and a media center with conference rooms.

Qiddiya said the center court and arena will each feature a two-piece sliding retractable roof system capable of creating a 54-m opening above the playing surface. The roofs can move from fully closed to fully open in five to seven minutes, the developer told ENR, and can be partially adjusted during match play to manage court shading and playing conditions.

“The National Tennis Centre at Qiddiya City will become a major new destination for elite tournament tennis,” Shireen Hamdan, global director at Populous and general manager of Populous KSA, said in a statement. 

“[A]t no other elite sports facility, whether for tennis or any other sport, do you see such a seamless integration of community and elite sporting facilities,” Hamdan added.

Populous has served as architect on numerous high-profile U.S. sports projects, including the new Buffalo Bills stadium under construction in New York, as well as Yankee Stadium and T-Mobile Arena.

Located about 45 km west of Riyadh, the complex is integrated into the Tuwaiq Mountain landscape and incorporates layered green facades woven into the surrounding terrain. The center sits adjacent to a Sir Nick Faldo-designed championship golf course and future residential, office and retail.

Qiddiya said the project's constrained footprint has required detailed logistics planning for equipment, materials and construction staging. The developer said high winds have affected tower-crane operations and increased reliance on mobile cranes, while dust-control measures and rainfall management plans were implemented to maintain site operations.

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Sustainability measures include living-wall installations across the tennis center buildings, including the center court, to reduce surface and ambient temperatures and improve air quality, the developer said. Irrigation systems will use treated recycled water for nonpotable applications.

The project is incorporating lower-carbon concrete mixes that reduce the volume of conventional concrete required. Procurement specifications also prioritize recycled steel suppliers. Traditional generators are also being replaced with battery-powered systems. The project aims to divert or recycle at least 80% of construction waste.

“We are building a world-class home for tennis at every level, where the world's best players can compete [and] the next generation of Saudi talent can reach their potential,” Abdullah Aldawood, managing director of Qiddiya Investment Co., said in a statement. 

The project website notes the National Tennis Centre is being built to ATP, WTA and International Tennis Federation standards. In addition to tennis competition, the center court and arena are designed to host concerts, esports events and other cultural programming.

Other Qiddiya projects include the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium and a gaming and esports district. The developer did not disclose the project's value or anticipated completion date.