Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal announced for Saudi Arabian exhibition
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have both been announced as joining the star-studded lineup for the Six Kings Slam showpiece event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Djokovic and Nadal will be joined by players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Ruhn and newly crowned Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
✨ Djokovic
✨ Nadal
✨ Alcaraz
✨ Sinner
✨ Medvedev
✨ RuneThese six star players will compete in the 6 Kings Slam, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in October 2024.
What a lineup! pic.twitter.com/zrzIK9BMwL
– We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) 6. February 2024
This marks Saudi Arabia’s continued attempts to break into tennis, with the ATP Next Generation Finals being held in the capital for the first time last year.
In announcing the event, the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority described it as a “new large-scale tennis tournament” to be held in October at an unknown date.
Unlike other exhibition events, this event is held during the tennis season and may overlap with the Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris.
The news comes just weeks after it was announced that Nadal would become an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Association. The event was originally scheduled to take place after the Australian Open, but was postponed due to injury issues with the Spaniard.
Growth and progress that’s important to see and the STF is working on that.
In a recent visit I saw the interest in both aspects and I want to be part of that role of growing the sport of tennis around the world.
The kids are looking to the future and I saw they are passionate… pic.twitter.com/vF3VaJXazH– Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) 15. January 2024
After confirming the holding of the exhibition event, Nadal said: “I’m very happy to be playing in Riyadh for the first time, following in the footsteps of other tennis players.”
In the baseline…
This was certainly an interesting move for all six players involved, likely motivated by the high appearance fees offered to them. It was almost inevitable that tennis would continue to make its way to Saudi Arabia, as the country was also considered as a potential venue for the WTA Finals, but with the potential for some of the season’s major finals to collide in October. It seems a little confusing. This is also a very interesting move for Rafael Nadal, and even though many thought he would retire either at Roland Garros or the Olympics, he still appears in the second half of 2024. It suggests that it is intended.
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