For tennis fans, it’s surprising that some of the best players, who often express their concern about the overload of the sports calendar, decide to participate in exhibition events like the Six Kings Slam, which starts this Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. However, for Taylor Fritz, the answer is clear and concise: economic motivation. The American tennis player highlighted the considerable sum of money at stake.
Fritz is one of the six tennis players who will compete 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 in Saudi Arabia, a sum greater than that offered in many official tournaments. This event is an example of Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in tennis, which includes the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah, and the Public Investment Fund’s sponsorship of the circuit rankings. Prominent figures such as Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have expressed criticism of the sport’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, due to concerns about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights. In the Six Kings Slam, each player is guaranteed a sum of 1.5 million dollars for participating; the winner takes a bonus that raises their total to four times that amount, with the matches broadcast live on Netflix.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. I would love to hear it.
Taylor Fritz
Sinner, who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, and was runner-up at the French Open and the US Open, claims to be in good physical and mental shape. The Italian tennis player will face Stefanos Tsitsipas on the first day, while Fritz will face Alexander Zverev. The winner of the match between Fritz and Zverev will play against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday, and the winner of the Sinner-Tsitsipas duel will face Novak Djokovic. The semifinals will be played on Saturday. Djokovic holds the record of 24 Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz has six, and Sinner has four; all have been number one in the world. Fritz was runner-up against Sinner at the 2024 US Open. Zverev has been a finalist in three major tournaments, including losses to Sinner at this year’s Australian Open and to Alcaraz at last year’s French Open. Tsitsipas was twice runner-up to Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments.Money is something we don’t try to hide. We know how much is at stake here, and it would be a lie to say it’s not a motivation.
Jannik Sinner