The News
Saudi Arabia’s tennis ambitions are bigger than holding exhibition matches. After hosting the second edition of its Six Kings Slam in Riyadh this weekend — where world No. 2 Jannik Sinner pocketed a record $6 million and a gold-plated racket — the talk off the court is that the kingdom may join the ATP calendar.
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz told Semafor that the prospect of Saudi Arabia landing a permanent stop on the tour is real, and it could be a Masters 1000 event. Several top players including Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud have previously said they were concerned about the ATP’s already packed schedule.
“It’s gonna be a really important tournament,” he said, adding that he is happy to “see the Saudi fans more often.”
The Riyadh event sold out its 8,000-seat arena in under 30 minutes and was streamed globally on Netflix. Despite being only in its second year, players said the organization and facilities have made progress.
“In one year you make incredible changes,” Sinner said in an interview. The court was bigger and “much better to play on” and the organizers made sure “we had an amazing, relaxed stay here,” Sinner said. Saudi Arabia is “going to be very important for us” and will help players “make the sport as big as we can.”
Know More
The Six Kings Slam offered no ATP ranking points, but the money was enough to draw tennis’s biggest stars, even those who opted out of Masters tournaments, whether for injuries or burnout, right before the exhibition. Alcaraz, who was accused of hypocrisy for raising concerns about schedule restraints then playing in an exhibition match, said: “Obviously it’s a motivation — we’re working for something, so I can’t lie,”
The crowd in Riyadh delivered: fans who two years ago had never seen live tennis on home turf filled the arena, chanting through rallies and observing near perfect tennis etiquette for serves. And because it’s Saudi, there was spectacle — AI portraits of players in Victorian costumes, holographic flaming tennis balls, light shows, a DJ, and a fan zone that felt more like a festival.
Saudi Arabia already hosts the WTA Finals and the women’s season-ending championship, while the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund sponsors maternity leave for women on the global tour. Now, with Six Kings Slam drawing more attention, with attendees like the streamer iShowSpeed, who has 50 million followers, it seems that tennis is the next sport to be firmly planted in the kingdom.
Notable
- Public Investment Fund–backed SURJ Sports Investment has emerged as the preferred bidder to host a new ATP Masters 1000 men’s tennis tournament, Bloomberg reported, in what could be the kingdom’s biggest move in tennis yet.