The top tennis players in the world often complain about the hectic year-round calendar that takes a heavy physical and mental toll on them. But when some of them turn up for a lucrative exhibition event, promising more than the prize money for winning a Grand Slam for a little fraction of the exertion, after pulling out of a big regular Tour event citing injury, criticism is inevitable.
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz finds himself at the receiving end for headlining the Six Kings Slam, where the Spaniard will headline a field of half a dozen marquee names, which also include Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
There is a reported $4.5m on offer, with some players also likely to have been paid seven-figure sums as appearance fees.
The winner could take home up to $6m, according to BBC Sport. In comparison, the US Open champion gets $5m, the highest purse among the four Grand Slams.
Alcaraz has teed up for the ongoing event in Riyadh after pulling out of last week’s Shanghai Masters 1000 citing an ankle injury. But he said the four-day event doesn’t put as much strain on the mind and body as regular events that sometimes go on for two weeks or longer.
“It’s a different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, 15, 16 days in a row, having such a high focus and demanding physically,” the six-time Grand Slam champion, who won the French Open and US Open this year, said.
“I don’t feel 100 percent – the doubts are there when I’m moving on court, but it has improved a lot and I’m going to compete and perform well.”
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Alcaraz would play no more than two matches in the tournament, having received a bye into the semifinals.
For the 22-year-old from El Palmar, the exhibition event was just an opportunity to have a good time on the court while also having a big payday.
“We’re just having fun for one or two days and playing some tennis, and that’s great, and why we choose the exhibitions,” he said.
“I understand [the criticism], but sometimes people don’t understand us, our opinions. It’s not really demanding mentally [compared with] when we’re having such long events like two weeks or two and a half weeks,” Alcaraz was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
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It is the second time the Six Kings Slam is taking place, with Sinner beating Alcaraz in last year’s final, but it’s unlikely that if they meet in Riyadh, the clash would occupy too high a place in their catalogue of epic rivalry.
