Daniil Medvedev has explained why he opted against playing this year’s Six Kings Slam, where players can bank up to £4.5m if they win the tournament. The former world No. 1 competed in the inaugural edition last year, taking home £1.1m despite losing his opening match in around an hour.
But Medvedev is in action at this week’s Almaty Open, an ATP 250 tournament, instead. After a tough season, the Russian enjoyed a resurgent Asian swing, and he’s trying to build on that.
The Six Kings Slam sees the world’s six best players face off in a three-day exhibition event. But when Britain’s Jack Draper ended his season early through injury and pulled out of the tournament, organisers invited Stefanos Tsitsipas in his place.
Some fans questioned whether Medvedev could have replaced Draper, but the current world No. 14 has now explained why he didn’t head to Saudi Arabia this year.
“It’s actually a bit more complicated. First, as far as I know, it’s not $1.5 million (£1.1m) per player — it depends on several factors,” the former US Open champion explained.
“Since I’ve dropped in the rankings, I understood that I probably wouldn’t be invited, because they usually take the top six — last year they only made an exception for Rafa [Nadal].
“So I entered the tournament in Kazakhstan, and once I commit to something, I follow through.
“Maybe there were some discussions elsewhere, but generally, if I’ve agreed to play somewhere, I keep my word. That’s why I’m here, and I don’t regret it. Besides, I need ranking points and real match play, so I’ll try to deliver some good tennis.”
Medvedev now has a chance to build on the progress he made in China, where he reached the quarter-finals in Hangzhou, and then back-to-back semi-finals in Beijing and Shanghai.
The Russian now sits at 15th in the race to the ATP Finals, with the top eight players making it to the year-end finals in Turin, and has an outside chance to qualify for the seventh year in a row.
He added: “This stretch after Shanghai is always tough. Even when it’s not as hot as this year, conditions there are usually quite warm, and then you move to indoor hard courts — essentially into the European winter, or here, which is also close to winter. So the body needs some time to adjust.
“I also know that my chances of qualifying for Turin are very slim, so I decided to play my last three tournaments of the season and give it everything — as long as my body allows.
“The adaptation here has gone well so far. We’ll see how it feels in the first match, because that’s always the hardest one indoors.”