Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz headline lineup for Six Kings Slam 2025

Jannik Sinner is the defending champion of the Six Kings Slam.

The most expensive tennis tournament is back, after a successful inaugural edition last year, which saw World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeat Carlos Alcaraz. Six players are selected from the ATP circuit, and regardless of their performance in the tournament, they walk away with a hefty amount of money.

It is a tennis exhibition tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the Riyadh Season. The exhibition took place last year, on October 16, 17, and 19, 2024. While the dates for this year’s edition haven’t been announced yet, the recent lineup announced by the organisers increases the anticipation and excitement.

The Six Kings Slam is just one of several tennis initiatives backed by Saudi Arabia, whose Public Investment Fund also supports the WTA Tour’s maternity fund and sponsors the rankings on both the women’s and ATP tours. Since this is not an ATP-sanctioned event, players do not earn any ranking points, and the match results do not count toward official head-to-head tallies

Jannik Sinner, the reigning champion is set to return to defend his crown in Riyadh, later this year. Finalist Carlos Alcaraz will feature too, much to the delight of the hosts, as apart from his stunning brand of tennis, the Spaniard is probably the most watched tennis player currently.

While the top two-ranked players add to the event’s prestige, no competition is complete without the GOAT (Greatest of all time). At 38 years of age, Novak Djokovic continues to dominate tennis, reaching the fourth round of every Grand Slam this year, and he too will compete at the 2025 Six Kings Slam.

The remaining three players who traveled to Riyadh last year—Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, and Rafael Nadal– are set to miss out this season. While Nadal retired from the sport, the Russian has been in poor form for more than two years now, while Holger Rune’s selection in 2024 was always surprising, having not won a Grand Slam yet, and achieved nothing spectacular.

The newest editions include currently ranked #3 Alexander Zverev, #4 Jack Draper, and #5 Taylor Fritz. While none of them have one major yet, Zverev and Fritz have been among the most consistent names for the past few years, challenging top players and making multiple deep runs.

The German reached the Australian Open final this year, while Fritz lost to Sinner in the US Open final last year.

Britain’s No. 1 star, Draper, is quickly rising through the ranks, and despite the recent Wimbledon setback, is expected to be one of the flagbearers of the sport in the future. Draper certainly has the game and mental toughness to challenge the best in the game, and deservingly finds a spot in this lineup.

Last year’s six entrants were guaranteed a minimum of approximately $1.4 million (USD) for participating, while champion Jannik Sinner, took home around $5.6 million (USD).

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