The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament has been postponed from October to Dec. 27-30 following recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, organizers said Wednesday, as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) remains open to moving the Asian Cup to 2028.
A strike on Riyadh’s international airport Saturday killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claiming responsibility. It was the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
"The decision reflects Riyadh Season’s commitment to delivering sporting events to the highest standards, following an assessment of the organizational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament and their potential impact on the quality of the audience experience,” organizers said in a statement.
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz were scheduled to compete in the exhibition tournament from Oct. 21-24. Defending champion Jannik Sinner had already withdrawn because of an injury.
The tournament attracts some of the world’s top players with its record prize money. Alcaraz acknowledged in 2024 that financial incentives played a role in his decision to participate, earning $1.5 million over four days.
The attacks have threatened to disrupt sports in the kingdom, with golf’s Asian Tour also saying it is monitoring the security situation ahead of the Saudi International in Riyadh next month.
AFC in ‘no hurry’ to make decision
Saudi Arabia is also scheduled to host the Asian Cup for the first time in 2027, a key test ahead of the kingdom’s hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
The 24-team tournament is scheduled to begin Jan. 7 across eight venues in three cities: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar.
AFC President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said the confederation was in "no hurry to make a decision” on whether to postpone the tournament.
"We can wait until the end of November. Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens,” he told reporters in Zurich, where the FIFA Council is meeting.
"If we need to make a decision, then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to. But at the moment, we are monitoring the situation and everything is on schedule.”
The 2023 Asian Cup was postponed from June 2023 to January 2024 after China withdrew as host because of COVID-19 restrictions. Qatar stepped in to host the tournament, which was moved to the winter.
Saudi Arabia is also hosting the FIFAe World Cup, an esports tournament organized by world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, in Jeddah from Oct. 16-25.
However, the Japan Football Association said it would not participate following a comprehensive assessment of the situation in the host country and available information regarding safety and security.
Football Australia also said its security team was monitoring the situation.
Reuters has contacted the AFC and FIFA for comment.