A lucrative six-man exhibition event in Saudia Arabia was announced earlier this week. Unlike most exhibitions that take place during the tennis offseason, this is set for October–right in the middle of a fall stretch that includes Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris.
The “6 Kings Slam” will feature Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune. Although the exact dates have not yet been announced, it will take place as part of the Saudi cultural and entertainment festival Riyadh Season. Reports say that each of the six players will get an approximate $1.5 million appearance fee and the champion could earn as much as $6 million.
“After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh,” Nadal commented.
“I am excited to return to Riyadh and play in front of all my Saudi fans,” Djokovic added.
Thus continues Saudi Arabia’s deep dive into the world of sports, which includes forays into F1 and golf (with the LIV Tour). As for the tennis circuit, the NextGen ATP Finals are currently held in Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation is though to be nearing a deal to become the annual host of the WTA Finals.
thoughts?
Odds minuscule that all 6 actually participate
4 at most