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Saudi Arabia is making strides to solidify its presence as a significant fixture on the tennis calendar, even in the absence of official ATP events beyond the Next Gen ATP Finals. Riyadh, the tennis hub of Saudi Arabia, is poised to host a premier exhibition in October, featuring an elite lineup including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Holger Rune in the eagerly anticipated '6 Kings Slam' event!
These tennis luminaries will temporarily set aside their ATP commitments to showcase their skills in this thrilling exhibition. Initially slated for February, the '6 Kings Slam' was rescheduled to October due to Nadal's injury concerns before the Australian Open.
While details about the specific dates and format are yet to be disclosed, the event is sure to capture widespread attention given the stellar lineup it boasts.
The news came just a couple of weeks after Nadal embarked on an exciting new venture, assuming the role of ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. It plays a pivotal part in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative to foster increased participation in tennis and other sports among boys and girls.
Tennis players are visiting Saudi Arabia more often, and we could see the first official WTA event there at the end of the season, with the organizers trying to welcome the elite eight players at the WTA Finals. Before that, five Major champions and Rune will battle in Riyadh, stealing the headlines from the official ATP tournaments.
Riyadh will host the '6 Kings Slam' in October.
All the players expressed their excitement about the upcoming event, with many of them playing in Riyadh for the first time. The crowd in Riyadh will have a chance to see Djokovic in action against some of the young guns who know how to beat them, or maybe alongside Nadal in a mouthwatering doubles action.
Djokovic and Alcaraz, the world's best players, competed at the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup at the end of 2023. The young gun defeated the veteran 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 52 minutes of entertaining tennis. Novak and Carlos give the crowd something to cheer for, with many cracking winners and beautiful exchanges.
The Spaniard lost serve three times and responded with four breaks to emerge at the top, embracing powerful serves and taming his shots nicely.
Carlos broke early, and Novak pulled it back in the fourth game for 2-2.
The Serb came from 0-40 in the seventh game and held two games later for 5-4. Alcaraz served to stay in the set at 4-5 and lost serve at love, handing the opener to Djokovic. Carlos secured an early break in the second set and produced one good hold after another, maintaining the advantage and holding at 5-4 to wrap up the set and force a decider.
The young gun grabbed another return game at 1-1 in the final set before holding after deuce for 3-1. Eager to fight, Djokovic saved a break point in the fifth game and seized his third break chance in the next one to pull the break back and level the score at 3-3. Carlos clinched another break in the ninth game, moving in front and holding at 5-4 to seal the deal and score a win.