Jannik Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill, has responded to the ridicule the Italian faced from some after saying he did not play for money at the 2024 Six Kings Slam.
Sinner competed at the Six Kings Slam Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 16th to 19th. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune were the other players to compete at the exhibition.
It continued Saudi Arabia's increased involvement in tennis. Riyadh also hosted the WTA Finals, which Coco Gauff won after beating Qinwen Zheng after one of the best women's matches of 2024.
Sinner ended a run of three consecutive losses against Alcaraz in the final of the Six Kings Slam to triumph 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. The Spaniard's victories against Sinner this year included outlasting him in an epic China Open final.
The reward for winning the Six Kings Slam was incredible. Despite only winning three matches, Sinner collected $6 million for his efforts, the biggest paycheck in tennis history.
It seemed obvious to most that Sinner and the other players who agreed to play at the Six Kings Slam did so, at least partially because of the money on offer. All six men received $1.5 million just for participating.
That meant Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune, who lost in the opening round to Sinner and Alcaraz, respectively, received that significant sum despite playing just one match in Saudi Arabia.
However, Sinner insisted in an interview afterward that he did not play for money and said securing the largest paycheck in the sport's history did not matter much to him, nor did it influence his decision to play at the exhibition.
By contrast, Alcaraz did not hide the influence of the money. The 21-year-old admitted the possibility of winning the most prize money in tennis history was one of the principal reasons he signed up.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Cahill stated Sinner had not explained himself well, and the comments had been misinterpreted. The Australian tried to articulate what his player really meant to say.
"What he said about not going to Riyadh for the money was misinterpreted. Or maybe he didn't explain himself well. The truth is that he had never played an exhibition, he has always been focused on improving his tennis."
"He knows what his priorities are. Then he got an offer for the Six Kings Slam, with the six best players in the world and a lot of money. He consulted us and we said why not, and he accepted."
The point about playing alongside some of the best players in the world was one Sinner mentioned when saying he did not play for money. Cahill's words indicate that the world No. 1 was not being dishonest when giving that as a reason for going to Saudi Arabia.
However, Cahill is more open about the impact of the money, mentioning playing against great players and receiving a lot of money in the same sentence. It is obvious that the financial rewards were attractive for players, and they do not need to hide that.