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topicnews · October 17, 2024

“Six Kings Slam”: Sinner reaches the final

“Six Kings Slam”: Sinner reaches the final

Jannik Sinner has reached the final of the controversial “Six Kings Slam” in Saudi Arabia. The number one in the tennis world rankings beat Grand Slam record winner Novak Djokovic 6:2, 6:7 (0:7), 6:4 in Riyadh on Thursday. The winner of the Spanish semi-final between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz awaits in the final on Saturday.

“We were both a bit tired. It was a tough game,” said Sinner, who continued his successful run with the Prestige win. A few days ago he beat Djokovic in the final of the ATP Masters in Shanghai. Now he needed 2:27 hours to defeat his competitors.

The spectacularly marketed “Six Kings Slam” and the participation of the sport’s top stars are causing discussions in advance. Critics accuse the venue, Saudi Arabia, of wanting to use “sportswashing” to cover up mistakes such as human rights violations. The star line-up in Riyadh is also interesting in view of the simmering discussion about stress in professional tennis. Alcaraz, who recently complained loudly about the calendar being too full (“it will kill us”), is now competing in the Laver Cup in Saudi Arabia, as he did last time in Berlin.

Each of the six players will receive at least $1.5 million for their participation, with the winner winning as much as $6 million. That’s about twice as much as world number one Jannik Sinner received for his victory at the US Open.