The Saudi state continues to expand its horizons and after drawing the attention of the world with its LIV Golf and football league, it has now come up with an exhibition tennis slam known as “6 Kings Slam.”
the “6 Kings Slam” will take place this October in Riyadh and feature Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz.
The event will be an exhibition and not count for points or be a part of the men’s ATP Tour, but the participation of three of its biggest stars is yet another sign that Saudi Arabia is willing to pay top dollar to attract top tennis talent.
Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune, will round out the field. Rune is the only player involved who has not won a Grand Slam title.
Djokovic has won 24. Nadal, who announced last month that he had signed on to become an ambassador for Saudi Arabian tennis and work to develop the sport in the kingdom, has won 22. Alcaraz has won two and Medvedev and Sinner, who recently dueled in the Australian Open final, have each won one.
After golf and football Saudis making a foray into tennis with Kings Slam
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia is nearing a deal to begin hosting the WTA Tour finals, which is the season-ending championship of women’s professional tennis. The deal is expected to be announced this month, barring a last-minute change of heart by the tour’s leaders and players.
In addition, two people with knowledge of ongoing discussions said the country’s Public Investment Fund was closing in on a multi-year deal with the ATP and the WTA for the naming rights to each tour’s rankings.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
