by RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – OCTOBER 19: Jannik Sinner from Italy (left) and Carlos Alcaraz from Spain pose … [+]
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner confirmed his ranking and will take home the biggest prize money in the history of the sport by winning the 6 Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6:7, 6:3, 6:3 and secured $6 million in prize money.
In the third-place match, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final game of their legendary rivalry. Nadal is expected to retire from next month’s Davis Cup final in Spain.
All six players in the event were guaranteed $1.5 million in prize money for their appearance.
Although none of the matches on the ATP Tour count, Sinner’s victory gave Alcaraz a three-match winning streak. The Spaniard had recently beaten Sinner in the final in Beijing and in the semi-finals of the French Open earlier this year.
“We’re trying to push ourselves to the limit,” said Sinner, who has won seven tournaments this year, including the Australian Open and the US Open. “I wake up in the morning and try to understand how to beat him. Such rivalries and players push us to our 100% limit. I’m happy about that today. But the reason we came here was to show you all what tennis is all about. It can sometimes be long, like today. But we just try our best. Hope you enjoyed the show.”
Sinner led 4-1 in the first set, but was unable to maintain the lead.
Serving at 5-6 in the first set tiebreak, Sinner sailed a long backhand to give Alcaraz the set.
The Italian then earned another early break in the second set to make it 2-1 and won it.
In the deciding third, Alcaraz was serving at 3-4, 15-40 when he double-faulted to give Sinner a 5-3 lead. He captured the love and the two men embraced on the net.
When asked about the future of the rivalry over the next decade, Alcaraz said: “I will train and try as hard as I can. I’m sure Jannik will be there. I will try to do my best every day as the years go by. Hopefully this rivalry will only get better as the years go by. I want to say that I’m grateful to have him on tour. Thanks to him, I push myself to my limits. I give 100% every day to become a better player. It’s a pleasure every time I share the space with him. Sometimes it’s hard to find joy. But it’s great every time I face him.”
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – OCTOBER 19: Jannik Sinner from Italy poses for a photo with Turki Alalshikh, … [+]
Djokovic beat Nadal in the game for third place.
“I don’t know where to start with Rafa,” Djokovic said after the match. “An amazing career. I could talk all night long. It was an honor to share the courtroom with you.
“I remember the very first game we played and who would have thought that almost 20 years later we would be standing here and playing 60 times. I have the utmost respect for you. Incredible athlete, incredible person.”
“The rivalry has been incredible and very intense, so I hope we have the opportunity to sit on the bench somewhere, have a drink and reflect.”
“I know how many victims there are [there has been]. It’s an emotional day, so don’t quit the tennis, man! Stay with us! They have left an amazing legacy.
Nadal, who will retire at next month’s Davis Cup final, was presented with a golden racket by tournament organizers
“It was a dream come true to be able to be competitive for almost 20 years and have the chance to play in the best places in the world, which is what I saw on TV as a kid,” he said. “I can’t thank enough the support and love I’ve received from everyone. It’s been an incredible journey.” [at] every single tournament over the years.
“I feel very lucky to be a tennis player.”
The event was the latest step into tennis for Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the WTA Finals in Riyadh in two weeks and the Next Gen ATP Finals for the best players under 21 in Jeddah by 2027.
There have been discussions about a combined men’s and women’s 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia in January or February around the Australian Open, but nothing is imminent, according to The Athletic.
World number 8 Casper Ruud said it was “inevitable” that Saudi Arabia would be “big in tennis” in the future.
“I’m sure there will be more and more in the future, and there are also a lot of rumors on the ATP tour as to whether there will be an additional tournament in Saudi Arabia,” Ruud told spilxperte. “I’ve decided not to go that far, but it seems to me that it’s inevitable that they’ll somehow become big in tennis in the future and they already have the Next Gen Finals, so let’s see what those are future brings.”
Tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova refused to play in Saudi Arabia because of the country’s history of human rights abuses and the treatment of women and homosexuals.
Saudi Arabia has also made progress in football, boxing and golf, and former world No. 1 John McEnroe described it as a delicate matter for tennis.
“I personally don’t agree with it at all, either with golf or with tennis,” he said on a recent ESPN conference call. “The women will play the WTA Finals there? Are you kidding me? Because they treat women so well? This part is ridiculous to me.
“At the same time, which is also ridiculous, there are people who can criticize tennis players or golfers for doing something that virtually every company and the government does, which is do business with Saudi Arabia.”
