Carlos Alcaraz is back in the Six Kings Slam final to face Jannik Sinner for the second year running. There’s a lot on the line in Saturday’s championship match – every player receives £1.1m for competing, but the winner gets an extra £3.4m.
A lot has been made of the huge cash prize on offer at the three-day exhibition in Saudi Arabia, and Alcaraz has drawn some criticism for pulling out of the recent Shanghai Masters with an ankle injury while still competing in the Six Kings Slam.
The world No. 1 has already explained that a short exhibition takes less of a mental and physical toll than a 12-day Masters 1000 event. But he had other reasons for returning to the Six Kings Slam this year, having finished runner-up in 2024.
After beating Taylor Fritz in Thursday’s semi-final, the six-time Grand Slam champion said: “I don’t know [who has a better time – him on court or fans watching]. I am just really happy that you enjoy the match, you enjoy the points that I did today.
“I think that’s why I came here, to have fun, it’s a place we are not used to playing in the whole year, so it’s quite new for us.
“I am coming here just to have fun, trying to feel the love from the fans as well. It’s great, great drop shot, great forehand, I am just pleased I was able to do it today.”
Alcaraz is now through to Saturday’s final, where he meets his biggest rival, Sinner. The Italian came out on top when they met at the same stage last year.
But Alcaraz won their latest meeting in the US Open final. After that match, Sinner admitted that he wanted to change some things in his game so he could become a better player by the time he next faced Alcaraz.
After defeating Novak Djokovic in his own Six Kings Slam semi-final, the world No. 2 said: “You need rivalries. You need better players than you.
“Carlos is an all-round player. An incredible talent. We saw this today on court. He can do everything. I look up to these guys. I look up to Novak. I look up to Carlos.
“To have a point where I can say, ‘Okay, it’s very important for me to improve’. This is exactly what motivates me.”
The champion will take home a £4.5m prize cheque. Meanwhile, Djokovic will face Fritz in a third-place playoff. Djokovic came in third last year when he beat Rafael Nadal in the playoff.
