Sinner and Fritz motivated by millionaire prize at the Six Kings Slam

Some tennis fans are questioning why the top players, who often complain about the sport’s packed schedule, decide to participate in exhibitions like the Six Kings Slam, which kicks off this Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. However, for Taylor Fritz, the answer is clear and simple: six million reasons. The American tennis player did not hesitate to express his motivation.

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 that from them.

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 having won the top prize in the previous edition, surpassing even the earnings of any official tournament. The US Open, for example, recently awarded $5 million to the individual winners, setting a record in the Grand Slam. This event is part of Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in tennis, and vice versa, including the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah, and the Public Investment Fund’s sponsorship of the circuit rankings. Legendary figures like Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have expressed criticism of 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, and the winner takes home a bonus that raises their winnings to four times that amount. The matches will be broadcast live on Netflix.

Money is not something we are trying 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, 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. Sinner had to withdraw from his last match, a week and a half ago at the Shanghai Masters, due to severe cramps. However, he stated that he has already recovered and is ready for the rest of the season. In the first match, Sinner will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Fritz will play against Alexander Zverev. The winner of the match between Fritz and Zverev will face Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday, and the winner of the match between Sinner and Tsitsipas will play against Novak Djokovic. 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 major tournaments, including losses to Sinner at the Australian Open this year and to Alcaraz at the French Open last year. Tsitsipas has been runner-up twice to Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments.