Stefanos Tsitsipas got the chance to make his debut at the Six Kings Slam because Jack Draper is nursing an injury. Tsitsipas, who is not at all enjoying good form, locked horns with Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Riyadh exhibition, only to succumb to a straight-set defeat.
But in spite of the defeat, he pocketed a huge prize money of $1.5 million. Six Kings Slam offers a participation prize money of $1.5 million to all six participants.
Apart from the Greek ace, Alexander Zverev also took home the same amount despite losing to Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the previous quarterfinal. The Six Kings Slam, in fact, gives the highest prize money ($6 million) in the history of tennis (even though it’s only an unofficial tournament). After it comes the US Open, as it handed a cheque of $5 million to both the men’s and women’s singles winners: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively, this year.
Last year, Sinner bagged the $6 million by beating Alcaraz in the final. Sinner will only face Alcaraz if he beats Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and the Spaniard knocks out Fritz. Alcaraz and Djokovic have received first-round byes.
Zverev, Tsitsipas, and Fritz have made their debut in the event this year. On the ATP Tour, Tsitsipas has a 22-18 win-loss record and has clinched just the Dubai Open so far. He also dropped out of the top 20 because of his poor performances and currently stands in the 24th spot on the rankings table.
The last time the 27-year-old played a tour-level match was in the second round of the US Open, where Daniel Altmaier knocked him out in five sets. Tsitsipas hasn’t yet reached a quarterfinal since his defeat to Arthur Fils in the last eight of the Barcelona Open.
Simone Vagnozzi on who can challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have featured in 31 combined finals since 2024, winning 23 trophies, including four Grand Slam titles each. At present, even 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is struggling to challenge their dominance. Sinner’s coach, Simone Vagnozzi, however, thinks there are quite a few players who are capable of playing at Sinner’s and Alcaraz’s level.