Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority has announced plans to host a prestigious tennis exhibition in October, featuring top players such as Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal alongside three other Grand Slam champions.
The event, named the "Six Kings Slam," will also showcase talents like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.
This tournament will be a highlight of the Riyadh Season cultural and entertainment festival. Notably, Sinner, who recently clinched the Australian Open title, stands out as the sole player in the lineup without a Grand Slam victory.
Spaniard Nadal, who signed up as an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation last month, said he was looking forward to the event.
"After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh," the 22-time Grand Slam champion said in the press release.
While exhibition events in the Gulf are nothing new, they are usually played during breaks in the ATP season or after it has finished. The ATP has a full schedule in October, including mandatory Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris.
Saudi Arabia will also host the season-ending Next Gen Finals for men's under-21 players in Jeddah from 2023 to 2027, the ATP announced last August.
The oil-rich country has invested heavily in sports like football, Formula One, and golf over the last few years. However, critics have accused the country of using sport to cover up its poor record on human rights and equality issues.
The debate over Saudi Arabia potentially hosting the women's WTA Finals has intensified, with tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova objecting to the move, prompting heavy criticism from the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. last week.
