The Six Kings Slam Has the Money and the Netflix Reach. The Question Is How Long It Lasts.
It's hard to blame the players for saying yes. Each of the six in Riyadh on October 21, 22 and 24 is guaranteed $1.5 million for showing up, and the winner takes an additional $4.5 million, so $6 million for three nights of tennis. The US Open now pays its singles champions a record $5.5 million, and this year's entire Doha ATP 500 purse was about $2.83 million, which makes the $13.5 million Six Kings purse nearly five times that. The players are treated like kings for the week too, which is the whole idea.
But I'd understand if some of them asked whether the money is worth the risk. Earlier this year, around 40 players, staff and journalists were stranded in Dubai after Iranian missile and drone strikes hit the UAE, and airspace closed for days. A separate Challenger in Fujairah was cancelled outright. The WTA ended its three-year hosting deal in Riyadh six months early and moved its Finals to the United States, with safety concerns tied to the Iran war cited as the reason. Tensions in the region are high, and that's a reasonable thing for a player to weigh against a seven-figure check.
The field has already taken a hit this week, though not because of any of that. Jannik Sinner announced on Tuesday that his season is over because of a right knee injury, so he won't defend the title he won in 2024 and 2025, beating Alcaraz in the final both times. The organizers have confirmed Learner Tien as his replacement, and Alcaraz and Djokovic go straight into the October 22 semifinals. Fans have asked why Ben Shelton, fresh off the US Open final, wasn't the call. I haven't seen the organizers explain it, and I don't know whether Shelton was even available.
What I keep coming back to is how easy it is to watch. Last year I turned on Netflix and the Six Kings Slam was just there, and Netflix is streaming it again this year. This year, following the tour has meant subscribing to WTA TV and Tennis TV and getting past paywalls to watch matches at the Grand Slams. A huge number of people already pay for Netflix, Disney or Amazon Prime, and sport that comes with a subscription they already have, without an add-on package, is a powerful thing. From where I'm watching, the sport's own tournaments don't offer that.
I think the Six Kings Slam goes as far as the Saudis want to take it. Players will keep showing up as long as the guaranteed money and the prize pool stay where they are. But Saudi sports money has changed direction quickly this year. The Public Investment Fund has reportedly put more than $6 billion into LIV Golf since 2022, then said in April it would stop funding the league after 2026 because the investment was "no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF's investment strategy." LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 8 with more than $500 million in debt. These are different ventures with different Saudi backers, and I'm not saying the Six Kings Slam follows either one. But if I had to guess, its run will be shorter than people expect, not longer.
Two things I haven't been able to find: whether Tien receives the same guaranteed $1.5 million, and what, if anything, Sinner is owed for withdrawing.
Jake Scudder
Journalist – topics of tennis