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Tennis fans may wonder how the Six Kings Slam, an event offering $13.5 million in prize money and featuring the world’s best players, is still considered an exhibition. The answer lies in one specific ATP rule and a smart bit of scheduling by the organizers.
According to ATP regulations, players are not permitted to participate in exhibition matches for three consecutive days. To stay within the rules, the Six Kings Slam organizers introduced a rest day between match rounds. This small adjustment allows the tournament to keep its exhibition status.
In 2025, the Top 5-ranked players are competing in Saudi Arabia, including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Novak Djokovic. Completing the six-man lineup is World No. 24 Stefanos Tsitsipas. As it is not an ATP-sanctioned event, no ranking points or official records are affected.
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Despite being an exhibition, the event in Riyadh has attracted tennis superstars for obvious reasons. Each player is guaranteed $1.5 million just for participating, and the winner receives an additional $4.5 million, taking home a total of $6 million.
This year, the rest day is on Friday, October 17. The event began on Wednesday, October 15, and the semifinals took place on Thursday, October 16. The third-place playoffs and the final are expected to be played on Saturday, October 18. The event is being streamed on Netflix.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to meet again in Six Kings Slam final
Jannik Sinner’s path to the Six Kings Slam final has been impressive. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semis. Then in the semi-final, he ousted Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 6-2 win, extending his strong recent streak over the Serb.
Carlos Alcaraz’s road to the final involved only one match. In the quarterfinals, Taylor Fritz had eliminated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4, and Alcaraz then faced Fritz in the semis. Alcaraz dominated that match, winning 6-4, 6-2 to book his place in the final.
The 2025 final is a replay of last year’s showdown, when Sinner edged out Alcaraz in a tight three-set battle to become the inaugural champion of Six Kings Slam. In their recent official meetings, Alcaraz holds an edge as he defeated Sinner in the 2025 French Open final in dramatic fashion and also won the 2025 Cincinnati Open final and the 2025 US Open final.
