The unprecedented sum Jannik Sinner won at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia has generated media attention, but Roger Federer's former coach, Paul Annacone, says the Italian does not have to justify his earnings.
Saudi Arabia's government is open about its intention to expand further into sports. The country has already caused significant controversy with its moves in golf, which divided players and fans.
Its approach to tennis seems to be different. The Middle Eastern nation is investing in the ATP and WTA Tours, which has led to the WTA Finals and the ATP Next Gen finals being held in the country.
Rafael Nadal also became an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation in January. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who will retire at next week's Davis Cup Finals, also plans to open an academy in exchange for the huge money he is being paid.
There has been criticism of Nadal and Saudi Arabia's involvement in tennis more broadly because of the country's very poor human rights record. Nadal says he understands the criticism but feels engaging with the country does more good than harm.
The latest example of Saudi Arabia's increased involvement in tennis was the Six Kings Slam exhibition, held from October 16th to 19th. Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune featured at the event.
Jannik Sinner won the largest paycheck in tennis history of $6 million after beating Alcaraz 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the final. All six players were also given $1.5 million just for participating in the exhibition.
When asked how he felt about receiving $6 million, Sinner answered that he does not play for money and mainly chose to compete at the Six Kings Slam to test himself against the best players.
By contrast, Alcaraz admitted that the financial incentives at the exhibition in Saudi Arabia were one factor behind his decision to play and said he would be lying if he said anything else.
However, Annacone does not think Sinner or any of the players should have to justify going to a country for financial reasons, outlining on the Tennis Channel how tennis acts like any other big business to attract the best talent at certain times of the season.
"I don’t think he plays solely for money. Obviously, he has got a lot more integrity than that. But just like any other big business, there is a price for players to go to certain places at certain times of the year and sure it was the best players in the world and an opportunity to face them, but it was also an opportunity to make the right business decision for him."
"There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t think he needs to defend playing for money or not. The way he said it sounds ironic. This is something we always talk about with the top players. There is a lot of money thrown around?"
Fans might be split on the impact of Saudi Arabia's increased presence in tennis, but the ATP and WTA are open to further investment from the country, meaning the country's influence will likely spread further.
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