Jannik Sinner has arrived in Riyadh for the Six Kings Slam, a lucrative exhibition event with a total prize purse of £10m. The world No. 2 raised massive concerns when he was forced to retire from his third-round match at the Shanghai Masters, where he was the defending champion.
Battling through the hot and humid conditions, Sinner suffered severe cramps and could barely walk by the time he threw in the towel against Tallon Griekspoor, and needed the physio’s help to leave the court. But he landed in Saudi Arabia just a week later and now seems ready to compete.
Sinner raised concerns that he may have picked up an injury in Shanghai, as he started struggling towards the end of the second set of his match with Griekspoor. The Dutch star took the second set and continued to power on while Sinner’s condition worsened.
Griekspoor led 6-7 7-5 3-2 with a break when the Italian finally gave in and retired. He was cramping so much that he had to use his racket as a makeshift walking stick to get back to his bench, with the trainers also helping him walk.
Sinner swiftly left Shanghai and has not yet addressed his worrying retirement. But he’s already set to return to action this week.
Turki Al-Sheikh, a Saudi government official and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, shared a video welcoming the four-time Major winner to Riyadh.
The world No. 2 will join Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the three-day event, held on October 15, 16 and 18.
Sinner won the inaugural Six Kings Slam last year, beating Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic and Alcaraz on the way to the title. All six players receive £1.1m just for turning up and competing, but Sinner bagged an extra £3.4m as the champion.
The Italian will open his 2025 campaign against Tsitsipas on Wednesday, and the winner takes on Djokovic on Thursday. The finals and the third-place playoff matches will be played on Saturday.
Djokovic and Alcaraz receive byes directly into the semi-finals as the two men with the most Grand Slam titles. Zverev and Fritz will face off on Wednesday for the chance to meet Alcaraz.
There are also concerns about other players in the draw. Djokovic appeared to pick up a hip injury during his Shanghai semi-final defeat to Valentin Vacherot on Saturday. He refused to talk about his physical condition, instead crediting his opponent.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, injured his ankle in Tokyo a few weeks ago. He played on and won the Japan Open title before skipping Shanghai altogether. Tsitsipas has not played a match in four weeks, while Zverev and Fritz suffered shock early exits at the Shanghai Masters.