Carlos Alcaraz said that the prize money attracted him to the Saudi Six Kings Slam tournament

PARIS – Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz said Oct. 28 that the record prize money on offer at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia earlier this month provided motivation to enter the tournament as the world number two prepares for the Paris Masters.

Italian contender Jannik Sinner denied claims that he joined the exhibition event for financial reward, stressing that he traveled to Riyadh for the sporting competition.

However, Alcaraz admitted that the financial aspect played a role, with him earning US$1.5 million (S$1.9 million) over four days in mid-October.

“I love playing tennis. Most of the time I don’t think about money. I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to make money, you know, that’s all,” he said.

“…Arabia has the highest prize fund ever, so that was good motivation, at least for me.”

The Spaniard has not achieved much success at the Paris Masters in recent years; his best result was his performance in the quarterfinals. On October 29, he faced Nicolás Jarry of Chile, with the match starting after press time.

Regardless of the result, Alcaraz also said the season has paid off, especially after winning the French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2024.

“I didn’t play good tennis at this tournament. I guess by the end of the year I was tired, or yeah, like I said last year, I needed to understand that the season after September is still going on,” he said.

“The calendar is very busy and very demanding. So, coming to the last tournament of the year, I was probably tired over the last year, I didn’t play as well as I wanted.”

Some matches started earlier, on October 28.

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded 10th, beat Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 16, while Frenchman Adrian Mannarino shocked American Tommy Paul, seeded 11th, 6 -3, 7-5.

Meanwhile, according to tournament director Garbine Muguruza, the world’s leading tennis players fully support the controversial decision to hold the final of this year’s tour in Saudi Arabia.

“I think they are all very excited. They all asked me so many questions about what to expect and what to do,” said the Spaniard, a two-time Grand Slam champion and winner of the final competition of the 2021 season.

She said she had not heard any objections from players to the trip to the Gulf kingdom, which tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have criticized for human rights abuses.

“I’ve only heard positive things and here we are. I mean this is a new country for us. This is a new market that we very much welcome,” Muguruza added.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced in April that Riyadh would host the next three finals. The 2024 Showcase will take place from November 2 to 9, featuring the top eight singles and doubles players.

It will feature a battle between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek to see who will finish the year in first place.

Arij Mutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation, said she hopes the tournament will help develop the sport locally.

“I think the most important thing for us as a federation is that this event will help us get one million people into tennis by 2030,” she told AFP. “That’s our ultimate goal.”

The WTA finals took place less than a month after Riyadh hosted the high-profile men’s Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament featuring Alcaraz, Sinner and two of the Big Three – Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Talk of Nadal’s impending retirement dominated the event, and Muguruza also said it was “bittersweet” to see her fellow Spaniard call it quits.

“We want to see him always… He was an idol for all of us,” she said. “It’s sad, but I know he’ll just enjoy the new life he deserves.” REUTERS, AFP