Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will headline a new six-man tennis event to be held in Saudi Arabia in October.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to compete at Saudi Arabia tournament
Along with youthful Danish sensation Holger Rune, former world number one Daniil Medvedev, Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner, and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will also compete in the 6 Kings Slam.
“After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh,” said Rafael Nadal, who was just designated an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
A December exhibition has been conducted in the kingdom in the past, and last year Jeddah hosted the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, which are for the best players aged 21 and under.
The new tournament’s final dates are still to be confirmed, but remarkably, they fall in the middle of an active ATP season that includes Masters events in Shanghai and Paris.
Although there is now only speculation of a 10th Masters event taking place in Saudi Arabia, it is another sign that the country’s prominence in the sport is expanding.
In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is still a strong frontrunner to be chosen to host the WTA Finals in the future—this would be the country’s first major women’s athletic event.