Djokovic–Sinner followed by Nadal–Alcaraz. On paper, the program for the Six Kings Slam this Thursday evening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was enough to make even Grand Slam tournaments pale in comparison. But the interest is not there. While we should witness the last clash between the Bull of Manacor and his young compatriot dedicated to reclaiming his legacy, but also the remake of the final of the last Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the world of tennis is shunning its giants.
The fault of an exhibition which never managed to give the impression of a semblance of seriousness. On paper, the casting could already raise some logical doubts. Between a Rafael Nadal who has not played for more than three months, and a Holger Rune, invited to the table of the greatest despite a more than average season and his 14th place in the world, there was reason to ask questions.
“It looks like a streaming”
Certainly, the nearly 5-minute Hollywood and superhero-style trailer was able to convince some. The Jannik Sinner “Renaissance artist” version facing Novak Djokovic “leader of the wolves” had a certain aesthetic. But Andy Murray, not invited to the Saudi capital, had seen everything before anyone else. “It’s not a film and no one is going to watch it, because it’s an exhibition tennis event that no one cares about,” said the Scot after the release of the teaser last month.
On site, since the start of the competition this Wednesday, moments of unease have multiplied. We were treated to a long video message from Rafael Nadal congratulating Saudi Arabia for its investments in tennis, with a teleprompter visibly in front of his eyes, and a voice that was not necessarily very convinced. The best thing is played on the pitch or rather behind the television screen. Broadcast on DAZN, viewers found themselves faced with the first two matches filmed from too high up, and a shaky camera. “I had only seen the trailer. I admit I’m not a fan. And what’s more, it looks like streaming,” Evan Furness, ex-197th in the world, tells us.
The only advantage, tennis fans, like the French player, did not have to suffer long for the first day of competition with Daniil Medvedev quartered by Jannik Sinner in 1h09 (6-0, 6-3), before that Holger Rune does not suffer the law of Carlos Alcaraz (6-4, 6-2), in just three more minutes.
The biggest prize money in history
More than the scores being too large, it is the prize money of the losers that stands out. By spending 69 minutes on the court before being eliminated, the Russian won a nice jackpot of $1.5 million, or nearly $350 per second. For the one who goes to the end of the tournament, by winning three matches, therefore for Alcaraz or Sinner, or only two for Djokovic or Nadal qualified directly in the semi-finals, 5.5 million euros are promised. The largest prize pool in the history of tennis.
“I’m not at all against creating new events. It’s important that the sport evolves, but between the speeches of the players who are visibly too constrained by the calendar, and their participation in things like that… We see too quickly that the intention is purely economic and that from a sporting point of view it is not there’s no point,” regrets Evan Furness.
Earlier in the season, Carlos Alcaraz had, in fact, complained about an overloaded schedule which would probably end up “killing” the players “one way or another”, before continuing an exhibition on Netflix, the Laver Cup and finally this Six Kings Slam, placed at the very end of the season just before the Masters 1000 in Paris which begins at the end of next week. The day of rest wedged, “exceptionally” between the semi-finals of this Thursday and the final scheduled for this Saturday, will have difficulty making the pill pass for all that. Even if on the court, the world number 2 promises to go “all out” and play “good tennis” to beat his elder. Be careful, this remains an exhibition…
