Six Kings Slam: Sinner beats Alcaraz in exhibition final

Saudi Arabia’s push into tennis took off last year with its first ATP Tour event –- the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah –- and exhibition matches pitting Djokovic against Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka against Ons Jabeur.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner poses with the trophy after winning the final alongside Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

In the Six Kings Slam exhibition final on Saturday, Australian Open and US Open winner Jannik Sinner outlasted French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, avenging his loss in Beijing earlier this month.

“I wake up in the morning trying to understand the ways how to beat him,” Sinner said in an on-court interview after winning the match 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, adding that he hoped their rivalry would last “as long as possible”.

Alcaraz has a 6-4 edge in head-to-head tour contests.

Saudi Arabia’s push into tennis took off last year with its first ATP Tour event –- the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah –- and exhibition matches pitting Djokovic against Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka against Ons Jabeur.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced in April that Riyadh would host the next three editions of the Tour Finals, featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams.

The 2024 showpiece will be staged from November 2-9.

Earlier this year, Nadal was named ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.

The tennis world’s embrace of Saudi Arabia has drawn some criticism, notably from greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova who have voiced concern about the kingdom’s record of human rights abuses.

Djokovic said he did not know if he, like Nadal, would spend more time in Saudi Arabia post-retirement but he said he was focussing on what he described as the positives there.

“There’s always going to be criticism. You can always focus on good things or bad things,” he said.

“You know, it just depends on the perspective, like anything in life.