Next month, the leading male tennis stars will assemble in Saudi Arabia for the second "Six Kings Slam" event, competing for the highest prize money in tennis. Defending champion Jannik Sinner may feel he has been treated unjustly following the draw announcement.

Sinner won last year’s first-ever "Six Kings Slam," overcoming his fierce opponent Alcaraz in the final to secure $6 million. Despite losing the first set, Sinner came back to win 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, marking his first victory over Alcaraz this season. Although this was an exhibition match and does not count towards their official head-to-head record, it remains the highest single-match prize money in Sinner’s career.

Generally, such an achievement would grant Sinner a preferential seeding at this year’s "Six Kings Slam," but the organizers revealed that the byes directly into the semifinals were given to Djokovic and Alcaraz. To win the top prize again, Sinner will have to play one more match than Alcaraz. On the other hand, last year Djokovic and Nadal received this advantage; with Nadal absent this year, Djokovic continues to benefit. Alcaraz, as the current world No.1, also justifiably receives this privilege.

The participants of this year’s Saudi Six Kings Tournament are:

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Although Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the titles in the last eight Grand Slam events and are undoubtedly the top two players currently, Sinner has become a “supporting role” after Djokovic was granted a semifinal bye.

As the most successful male tennis player in history, Djokovic’s influence likely persuaded the Saudi organizers to grant him direct advancement to the next round. Meanwhile, Sinner must win three matches to claim the top prize, starting against Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas replaced the injured Jack Draper, but there are doubts about his fitness to compete in the "Six Kings Slam," with reports suggesting he may need six weeks to recover. Even if not fully healed, Tsitsipas might still choose to participate. Last year, Medvedev lost quickly to Sinner but still earned a $1.5 million appearance fee, meaning he made $21,739.13 per minute on the Riyadh court.

2025 Six Kings Slam Draw

Taylor Fritz vs Alexander Zverev

Jannik Sinner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

Semifinals

Djokovic vs Winner of Sinner/Tsitsipas

Alcaraz vs Winner of Fritz/Zverev

This year’s draw shows Djokovic and Alcaraz only need to win two matches to claim the $6 million prize, with Alcaraz and Sinner potentially meeting in the final.

If Sinner defeats Tsitsipas, he will face Djokovic in the semifinals; Alcaraz will play against the winner between Fritz and Zverev. Fritz is widely favored to beat Zverev, holding a six-match winning streak against him. Their most recent encounter was earlier this month at the Laver Cup, where despite Zverev’s strong team support, Fritz emerged victorious.

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