Some tennis fans wonder why top players, who complain about the sport’s hectic schedule, would add mid-season exhibitions to their schedules, such as the Six Kings Slam, which opens Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.
Taylor Fritz can think of a million reasons. Six million to be exact.
“I’d like to see a tournament where we can play three games, the top two seeds, two games, but we could potentially make $6 million,” Fritz said in a video interview Tuesday from Riyadh. “I’d like to hear it from them.”
Well, then.
Fritz is one of six players scheduled to compete in the second Six Kings Slam. That includes Jannik Sinner, who took home the top prize check in Saudi Arabia a year ago, more money than the actual tournament offers the champion. The recent $5 million payout to the US Open women’s and men’s singles winners set a Grand Slam record.
The event is part of Saudi Arabia’s recent big steps into tennis, including the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the ATP Next Generation Finals in Jeddah, and the Public Investment Fund’s sponsorship of tour rankings, and vice versa. Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have criticized the sport’s relationship with Saudi Arabia over concerns about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.
At the Six Kings Slam, each player is reportedly guaranteed a $1.5 million appearance fee. The last player standing will receive a bonus, the total amount of which will be four times the amount of the match being streamed live on Netflix.
“Money is not something we’re trying to hide. We know how much is at stake here. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a motivator,” said Sinner, who won this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon and finished runner-up to rival Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros and the US Open. “All the players here will try to win as many games as possible. It’s the same as any other exhibition, except there’s a little more motivation here.”
Sinner stopped playing during his most recent match at the Shanghai Masters a week and a half ago due to severe leg cramps. But he said Tuesday he was fine.
“I’ve recovered, I took a few days off to rest and now I’m ready for the rest of the season,” said Sinner, adding that he had not yet decided whether he would help Italy win their third consecutive Davis Cup title next month. “Mentally I’m in good shape…and I’ll give 100%.”
Fritz will face Stefano Tsitsipas on the opening day against Alexander Zverev. The winner of Fritz vs. Zverev will face Alcaraz on Thursday, while the winner of Sinner vs. Tsitsipas will face Novak Djokovic. After Friday’s day off, the semi-final winners will play each other on Saturday to decide.
Djokovic owns a men’s record 24 Grand Slam trophies, Alcaraz has six and Sinner has won four. Both are ranked number one.
Fritz was Sinner’s runner-up at the 2024 U.S. Open. Zverev is a three-time major finalist, including losing to Sinner at this year’s Australian Open and to Alcaraz at last year’s French Open. Tsitsipas has twice finished runner-up to Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments.
