WATCH: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz join Rafael Nadal and others in Riyadh; tennis legend interacts with young fans ahead of Six Kings Slam
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have joined Rafael Nadal for the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Riyadh. The highly-anticipated event will also feature Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev.
The 2024 Six Kings Slam is set to begin on October 16 and the participants have been making their way to the Middle East. Nadal landed in Saudi Arabia soon after announcing that he would retire from professional tennis after the Davis Cup Finals.
Alcaraz and Sinner recently arrived in Riyadh following their campaigns at the Shanghai Masters. Alcaraz was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Tomas Machac, while Sinner went on to defeat Machac in the semifinals before clinching the title by overcoming Novak Djokovic in the final. Alcaraz and Roger Federer were among those watching Sinner's impressive final win against the Serb.
Watch Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's arrival in Riyadh, where they were greeted with warm hospitality:
Meanwhile, Nadal had already begun practicing for the event. He has not played a professional match since the Paris Olympics and was early to reach Riyadh and grace the courts.
Watch the 22-time Grand Slam champion practicing and interacting with young fans on the court ahead of the event:
Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner to play quarterfinals as Rafael Nadal receives bye into semifinals of the Six Kings Slam
The Six Kings Slam is a four-day exhibition event with a one-day break in line with ATP rules for exhibitions. On October 16, the quarterfinals will take place and the next day is reserved for the semifinals. October 18 will be a break and action will resume on October 19 with the third-fourth playoffs and the final.
On Day 1, Carlos Alcaraz will take on Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner will take on Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the event. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have recieved a bye into the semifinals.
Sinner and Medvedev have faced each other five times this year and the Italian has won four of those matches, with their overall head-to-head now tied at 7-7. The winner of their match will take on Djokovic in the semifinal on Day 2.
Alcaraz and Rune have faced each other once each year from 2021 to 2023 and their head-to-head is led by the Spaniard 2-1. The winner of their quarterfinal will face Nadal in the semifinal, also on Day 2.
Notably, the winner of the event will earn a whopping $6 million in prize money while each participant receives a guaranteed $1.5 million.