Novak Djokovic and five more stars could win more than 28,000 players have in their entire careers at the Six Kings Slam tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Novak Djokovic and other stars could win up to £6million ($7.6m), should they win the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia this October. The competition, held as part of Riyadh Season 2024, will also feature Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.
The Six Kings Slam will be held as part of the Riyadh Season 2024, a government-backed entertainment and culture festival in the Saudi capital in October.
The tournament will see each player awarded £1.2m ($1.5m) for competing, with a further £4.8m ($6m) available for the champion – over double the £2.35m ($3m) Alcaraz earned for winning Wimbledon. The staggering amount available for the victor will also be a greater sum than 28,239 tennis pros have earned in their entire careers.
Only 175 players have ever earned more than £4.8m, with world number seven Holger Rune barely making the cut. Should he win in the Saudi capital, his earnings for that week would almost match the £6.5m ($8.2m) that he has earned in his entire career, which has seen him win four titles.
On his participation in the exhibition, Djokovic said: “I am excited to return to Riyadh and play in front of all my Saudi fans.” The Saudi General Entertainment Authority who announced the tournament on Monday also showed great ambitions for the event, labelling it a “major new tennis tournament.”
The Six Kings Slam has caused controversy due to its clashes with other tournaments. Though the official date has not been set, it is expected that it will take place on the week of October 14 to avoid clashes with the Shanghai and Paris Masters 1000 events, as well as ATP 500s in Vienna and Basel. This means that Djokovic and co. would have to miss out on ATP points to take part.
According to the Saudi Tennis Federation’s communications manager, the exhibition was originally set to take place after the Australian Open but had to be moved because of Nadal’s injury. The 22-time Grand Slam Champion is an ambassador for the STF, with plans for him to open an academy in the country.
The tournament is added to an ever-growing roster of Saudi-run events, with the Next Gen Finals signing a five-year deal to be held in Jeddah and growing rumours that the WTA Finals could be staged in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has also hosted previous exhibition events in the last two years, though these have all taken place during the off-season.
