Sinner and Fritz motivated by the $6M Six Kings Slam in Arabia

Some tennis fans are questioning why the most prominent figures, who often complain about the tight season schedule, decide to participate in exhibition events like the Six Kings Slam, which starts on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. For Taylor Fritz, the answer is clear and worth millions. Specifically, 6 million dollars.

I would love for them to show me a tournament where you can play three matches, or two for the top two seeds, and potentially win 6 million dollars. I would love to hear it.

Taylor Fritz

Fritz is one of the six tennis players who will participate in the second edition of the Six Kings Slam. Among them is Jannik Sinner, who returns after winning the top prize in the previous edition, also held in Saudi Arabia, a sum that exceeds what is offered by any official tournament to the champion. The US Open, for example, recently awarded $5 million to the singles winners, setting a record in the Grand Slams. This event is part of the kingdom’s growing investment in tennis, and vice versa, including the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, and the Public Investment Fund’s sponsorship of the circuit rankings. Iconic figures like Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have expressed criticism about the sport’s links with Saudi Arabia, due to concerns about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights. In the Six Kings Slam, each player is guaranteed an appearance fee of $1.5 million; the winner receives a bonus that raises their total to four times that amount, with the matches broadcast live on Netflix.

Money is not something we try to hide. We know how much is at stake here, and it would be a lie if I told you it’s not a motivation.

Jannik Sinner

Sinner, winner of the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, and runner-up against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros and the US Open, added:

Each player here will try to win as many matches as possible. It’s like any other exhibition, except here there’s a little more motivation.

Jannik Sinner

Sinner withdrew from his last match, a week and a half ago at the Shanghai Masters, due to severe leg cramps. However, he assured that he is fine.

I recovered. We took a few days off to rest and now we are ready for the rest of the season. Mentally I am in good shape… and I will give 100%.

Jannik Sinner

In the first day, Sinner will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Fritz will play against Alexander Zverev. The winner of the match between Fritz and Zverev will play against Alcaraz on Thursday, and the winner of the duel between Sinner and Tsitsipas will face Novak Djokovic. After a day of rest on Friday, the winners of the semifinals will face each other on Saturday to close the event. Djokovic holds the record of 24 Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz has six and Sinner, four; all have been number one in the world. Fritz was runner-up against Sinner at the US Open 2024. Zverev has been a finalist in three Grand Slams, including defeats against Sinner at this year’s Australian Open and against Alcaraz at last year’s Roland Garros. Tsitsipas was twice runner-up to Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments.