The Six Kings Slam exhibition will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the draw for the competition has already been released.
The exhibition organizers recently posted a sensationally made tennis promo featuring all the players in various costumes. Rafael Nadal was made out of clay, while Holger Rune sported a Viking costume.
As over-the-top as it was, it was very well-made, showing that the organizers want to take the tournament seriously. It's an exhibition that created a lot of headlines when it was announced because many fans weren't happy that it would be held in Saudi Arabia, a country with a less-than-stellar human rights record.
While it wouldn't be the first tournament in the country, it will be by far the biggest tennis event ever organized, which made some people uncomfortable.
Tennis in Saudi Arabia is here to stay, as the WTA Finals will be held there later this year, and there will be more events in the future. The country is rapidly modernizing, and while there is plenty of skepticism, players seem to be on board.
Heavy financial compensation is likely a factor, but that's just the reality of the situation. The Six Kings Slam will be held in October. It's an event that will last a couple of days, with the first quarter-finals held on October 16th and then the semi-finals on October 17th.
After that, players will get a day off, which they will likely use to explore the country a bit. Then, the final and the match for third place will be held on October 19th.
Fans will get to see two matches on the first day, which are designated as quarter-finals. In the first one, Jannik Sinner will take on Daniil Medvedev. In the second one, Holger Rune will take on Carlos Alcaraz.
The winners of those matches will progress to the semi-finals where two legends await. On one side, there is Novak Djokovic, while Rafael Nadal awaits on the other side of the draw.
Their potential opponents are already known as the winner of the match between Medvedev and Sinner will take on Djokovic. On the other hand, the winner of the match between Rune and Alcaraz will take on Nadal.
Depending on how these matches go, the match for third place will feature the losers of those semi-finals taking on each other. The event will feature six matches in total with arguably some of the best players in the world right now.
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | BYE |
| Daniil Medvedev | Jannik Sinner |
| Holger Rune | Carlos Alcaraz |
| Rafael Nadal | BYE |