The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, the body responsible in the country for activities, partnerships and projects relating to the entertainment sector, announced Monday that an exhibition tournament would see the light of day next October. It will be called the “Six Kings Slam” and will feature six players.
With Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev and Rune
Among them will be Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 and record holder of Grand Slam titles (24), and Rafael Nadal, former world No. 1, 22 times Grand Slam title (including 14 times at Roland-Garros). Since last month, the Spanish player has been involved as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. Other participants will be Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.
Holding an exhibition tournament in a Gulf country is not new. But the “Six Kings Slam” will have the particularity of being contested at a time when the ATP calendar will be busy, notably with the Masters 1000 in Shanghai and Paris.
Saudi Arabia criticized over human rights
The Saudi kingdom, which is investing more and more in sport – notably football, Formula 1 and golf – is accused of getting involved in this way to, among other things, divert international attention from failings in matters of human rights and equality on its territory. The possibility of Saudi Arabia hosting the WTA Masters had provoked numerous criticisms, including those from Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, two legends of women’s tennis, who said they were opposed to it. This sparked strong reactions from the Saudi ambassador to the United States last week.
