"Only made an exception for Rafael Nadal" - Daniil Medvedev gets real about not being invited to join Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner at Six Kings Slam

Daniil Medvedev recently addressed his absence at the ongoing 2025 Six Kings Slam, claiming that he wasn't invited for the exhibition tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this year. Medvedev featured in the event's inaugural edition last year, which also featured Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune. Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner were invited for this year's edition as well.

Last year, Medvedev lost to eventual champion Sinner in his opening match at the Six Kings Slam. Despite this loss, the Russian reportedly pocketed $1.5 million, which was touted as just the appearance fees for all the participating players individually. However, in a recent interaction with the media at the ongoing Almaty Open in Kazakhstan, the former No. 1 said that the Six Kings Slam's appearance fees aren't rigidly fixed at $1.5 million per player.

"It's actually a bit more complicated. First, as far as I know, it's not $1.5 million per player - it depends on several factors," Medvedev said.

Going on to talk about why he didn't feature at this year's edition of the exhibition tournament, Daniil Medvedev suggested that his drop to No. 18 in the ATP Tour's singles rankings earlier this year probably played a role in him not being invited. He also claimed that in 2024, the organizers made an exception for the legendary Rafael Nadal, who brought the curtains down on his tennis-playing career towards the end of last year.

"Since I've dropped in the rankings, I understood that I probably wouldn't be invited, because they usually take the top six - last year they only made an exception for Rafa," the Russian added.

"Once I commit to something, I follow through" - Daniil Medvedev on his participation at Almaty Open 2025

Daniil Medvedev at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters (Source: Getty)

In the same interaction with the media, Daniil Medvedev also explained that after he wasn't invited for the 2025 Six Kings Slam, he chose to sign up for this year's ATP 250 Almaty Open in Kazakhstan.

"So I entered the tournament in Kazakhstan, and once I commit to something, I follow through. Maybe there were some discussions elsewhere, but generally, if I've agreed to play somewhere, I keep my word. That's why I'm here, and I don't regret it. Besides, I need ranking points and real match play, so I'll try to deliver some good tennis," Medvedev said.

The Russian, currently ranked No. 14, has reached the semifinals in Almaty, where he is set to lock horns with James Duckworth from Australia. If the former No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion does progress to the final, he will face either Alex Michelsen from the USA or Corentin Moutet from France.

Meanwhile, this year's Six Kings Slam will once again pit Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner against each other in the final.