Tennis’ most prominent male players will descend on Saudi Arabia this week for the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament, featuring Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and current world #1 Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune will also compete in the event, which runs from October 16-19 in Riyadh.
All except Rune are grand slam champions who have held the #1 ranking.
The event will have one of the highest prizemoney payouts in tennis history. Players are guaranteed US$1.5 million for participating, and the winner will take home US$6 million.
The highest-paying grand slam is currently the U.S. Open. Jannik Sinner earned US$3.6 million for winning the men’s title in September.
Djokovic and Nadal have won 24 and 22 grand slam titles, respectively, the most among male players. The Six Kings Slam will be among Nadal’s last tournaments ahead of his November retirement.
Saudi Arabia’s sports investments
Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in tennis in recent years.
The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund struck a sponsorship deal in February with the Association of Tennis Professionals, the governing body of men’s tennis. It is now the title sponsor of the ATP’s rankings.
The women’s year-end finals will be held in Riyadh in November, as part of a three year contract with Saudi Arabia. The men’s Next Gen Finals, an event for the tour’s rising players under 21, will be played in Jeddah the following month.
Some major tennis figures have criticised the sport’s dealings with Saudi Arabia due to the kingdom’s human rights record. Retired stars Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert wrote in the Washington Post that the values behind women’s tennis "cannot even be expressed, much less achieved, in Saudi Arabia”.
Saudi Arabia’s investment in sports comes as it aims to diversify its economy away from oil.
Jeddah now hosts a Formula One Grand Prix, and the PIF is in talks to merge its LIV golf tour with the PGA Tour.
How to watch the Six Kings Slam
The Six Kings Slam is not an official ATP event, and will not give out ranking points. The event will be streamed worldwide on DAZN.