“6 Kings Slam” in Saudi Arabia in October
- Thread starter Marius_Hancu
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robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
True... but World Team Tennis wasn't played in a country run by a regime with questionable morals at best.
bluetrain4
G.O.A.T.
Not to mention all the high-level exhos. People might argue that the money is good enough now on the regular tour to not have to do this, which was part of the reason in the 70s. But, I still agree with you. They have a high-level sports/athletic skill which will only degrade with time. It makes sense that they'll use it maximize earnings. As the article says, this is during the ATP season, not after, so yeah, very well could be a harbinger of things to come.
Connor35
Semi-Pro
Totally agree, the regime is troubling.
But in terms of just playing exhibitions for cash during the season, it's as old as the pro game.
PSNELKE
Legend
Isn't World Team Tennis HQd in the US? I mean considering the amount of civilians killed in wars waged by that country, overthrown democracies (Chile) etc....I'd say that's a regime with pretty questionable morals too
tennis24x7
Hall of Fame
But not in human rights abuse countries.
tennis24x7
Hall of Fame
Money!Money!Money!
sportsfan1
Legend
Exactly. Players have complained about the long calendar schedule, too many tournaments, short break etc, but at the same time played exhos far and wide, even if they had to miss christmas. It all comes down to money(perhaps rightly from the perspective of lower ranked players).
Some of it is hard to understand because it's unlikely the big 2 have needed money for a long time now, but have still been out playing exhos.
Service Ace
Hall of Fame
Did you skip the history lesson on how many players competed in South Africa during the sanctions against apartheid? I will never forgive Brad Gilbert for that among others.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
seems they'd do anything for it...
tennis24x7
Hall of Fame
Never did have those in history. Now I know. Just lost a little respect for Brad. Who else played there?
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
You are barking up the wrong tree with this one. Suffice to say, nobody has completely clean hands, but some are much better than others. If you want to make this claim, then there isn't a place on earth that is really OK to play tennis.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
Just because the US isn't perfect does not excuse other countries or make then the same as us.
Service Ace
Hall of Fame
Connors, Lendl, Evert, Billie Jean King (hypocrite) all played there during apartheid. Saudi Arabia trying to buy out every athlete whose ethics are for sale is just another case of history repeating itself.
“The prices are higher in South Africa, per performance, than any place in the world,” says Arthur Ashe, former Wimbledon champion and current co-chairman (with Harry Belafonte) of Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid. “We call it a ‘guilt premium.’ Anyone foolish or brave enough to go can negotiate a guilt premium, over and above the standard market value.”
Credit where credit is due, particularly to John McEnroe who famously turned down 1 million dollars (the equivalent of 2.6 million dollars today) to play there during the ban:
“McEnroe decided not to go, on principal,” Ashe says. “To go would lend legitimacy to what they’re doing down there. . . . With a couple exceptions, no one has resisted (the boycott) after they’ve had the situation explained to them. . . . I never say ‘Don’t go.’ I say, ‘Let me explain the situation, you make up your own mind.’ If I can sit down for 10 minutes with anyone slightly receptive to rational thinking. . . .”
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
First off, gotta love Johnny Mac. A true NY'er. The guy doesn't get nearly as much respect as he deserves.
Second, while it does look really bad for those others, they weren't making the kind of money that players make today. The money was good, but not outrageously good like it is now ($3 million for a slam win). I'm definitely not making excuses for anyone, but I think it looks worse for some of the current players that easily have enough money to insure that nobody in their family will every have to work again (in perpetuity, if they are smart about it).
Connor35
Semi-Pro
I agree with what you're saying. But it's easy to say no to money when you don't need money.
The true judge of a man is when he says no to something he could use.
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socallefty
G.O.A.T.
That is a TTW meme, not some medical theory supported by doctors. If he is healthy and recovered from injury, there is no expiration date on his ability to play tennis. Pros play for hours every day when they are not playing tournaments and it is not like they sit on the couch and protect their body. They cannot keep their level up if they are not actively competing.
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Woah, what? No expiration date? Of course there is! Otherwise you would have 60 year olds still playing, no? And training and matches are two different things. Everyone will tell you that. You can train until the end of time, but it will never be the equivalent of match play.
Look, nobody is saying that his body can only play X matches before he suffers some complete breakdown and has to quit. But at his age his body is certainly limited in the number of high intensity (read, real) matches and events he can play consecutively before an injury will pop up. He started 2022 on fire, and he was cooked by the end of the Sunshine double. He somehow managed to tape himself together for the French, but it cost him the rest of the season, and basically everything since then.
JJGUY
Hall of Fame
He may not need that money but but he wants it, the more the better, a half million or one million dollars is not nothing, it's actually a lot of money, and easy money!
JJGUY
Hall of Fame
some interesting details here, ATP passed some new rules on top ranked players playing exhibition events, if they participate in unsanctioned events and play 3 or more consecutive days, they will be stripped of their “Platinum Status”, and the "Platinum Status" is required for players to receive a share from the end-of-year bonus prize money pool, also it will negatively impact their pension fund contribution from ATP. To avoid these inconveniences , the Saudi 6 Kings Slam will be played on "2 days on 1 day off" so the players can maintain their "Platinum Status".
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
If you believe ex-wife Tatum, he beat the hell out of her and pushed her down a flight of stairs. Not sure he deserves any respect if her tales are true - and pointedly, he's never denied her allegations.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
there's some vamosalaplayan vibe in their way of interpreting the rules...
Connor35
Semi-Pro
Wow. Who could’ve seen such a work around coming !?
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
Players can find loopholes like this easily but then make excuses about schedules.
"The 6 Kings Slam is a tennis exhibition tournament that will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the Riyadh Season. The exhibition will take place on October 16, 17 and 19, 2024. October 18 is a rest day in order to follow an ATP rule that players cannot compete on three consecutive days in an exhibition."
There is huge moral bankruptcy in the world today. And the top athletes claiming tiredness while playing so many exhibitions (alcaraz cash grab) need to be ignored. If they get injured it's on them.
The winner of this tournament will earn almost same money as the winner of channel slam this year. Money is ruining the sport in front of all.
Biggest beneficiary here is rune who is going to coast to 1.5 million dollars losing all his matches. And he will lose all that is guaranteed.
"The 6 Kings Slam is a tennis exhibition tournament that will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the Riyadh Season. The exhibition will take place on October 16, 17 and 19, 2024. October 18 is a rest day in order to follow an ATP rule that players cannot compete on three consecutive days in an exhibition."
There is huge moral bankruptcy in the world today. And the top athletes claiming tiredness while playing so many exhibitions (alcaraz cash grab) need to be ignored. If they get injured it's on them.
The winner of this tournament will earn almost same money as the winner of channel slam this year. Money is ruining the sport in front of all.
Biggest beneficiary here is rune who is going to coast to 1.5 million dollars losing all his matches. And he will lose all that is guaranteed.
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Yeah, seriously, when is enough enough? I have to believe that guys like Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic are going to make well over 50M this year considering all forms of income. And that's just one year. Why do they feel like they need to do this?
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
I'll just add: it's particularly disappointing from Sinner and Alcaraz. Both of them come from pretty humble backgrounds, and both of them appear to be well grounded. Shouldn't they know better? Shouldn't they already realize that they have more than enough to make sure their entire families are set for life?
messiahrobins
Legend
I dont believe her. MCenroe was a pencil neck wimp, he couldnt push any adult anywhere physically.
anarosevoli
Semi-Pro
Yes it appears immoral. But I believe that in the end every little bit of western influence will help to make these countries better. Win-win.
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
Will Nadal even appear here. Now is the right time to ask. I have zero belief he comes here.
Nor do I think Nadal plays another singles match now. He would retire in doubles at dc.
Nor do I think Nadal plays another singles match now. He would retire in doubles at dc.
RSJfan
Professional
RSJfan
Professional
He’s probably contractually entitled to an appearance fee the moment his plane hits the tarmac in Riyadh. I’ll be surprised if he plays another singles match too.
Baseline_Bungle
Legend
We're talking 1 to 6 millions for 2 or 3 days of work, and random people on the internet are saying these guys should turn it down...
Look, the Saudis have already bought tennis. They have the WTA finals, the Next Gens, and their name (and people) now fully embedded in the PIF ATP brand. Clearly their presence will only grow, very quickly at that.
If someone was gonna talk or forever hold their peace, they should have done so a long time ago. In fact, a few did (like Italy's Binaghi - in many respects a deranged megalomaniac, but you gotta give credit where credit is due). But very few. Too few. And now that ship has sailed. At this point, I see no issue if the top dawgs want to make the most of this new tennis landscape.
Look, the Saudis have already bought tennis. They have the WTA finals, the Next Gens, and their name (and people) now fully embedded in the PIF ATP brand. Clearly their presence will only grow, very quickly at that.
If someone was gonna talk or forever hold their peace, they should have done so a long time ago. In fact, a few did (like Italy's Binaghi - in many respects a deranged megalomaniac, but you gotta give credit where credit is due). But very few. Too few. And now that ship has sailed. At this point, I see no issue if the top dawgs want to make the most of this new tennis landscape.
Bride of Alcaraz
Semi-Pro
Nadal will probably play exhibition matches in the next couple of years, so no reason to skip this year's "6 King Slam".
His retirement from the ATP doesn't impact his exhibition schedule...
Plus don't forget, he's an ambassador for Saudi tennis!
His retirement from the ATP doesn't impact his exhibition schedule...
Plus don't forget, he's an ambassador for Saudi tennis!
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Serious question: how much is Sinner going to make this year? Not just prize money, but total income from all sources? (I ask you about Sinner, because you are Italian and it's probably estimated often in the press).
I assume it is north of 50 million, and if that is indeed the case, I can honestly make an argument for a world where a 23 year old still has some ideals, and realizes that 1-6 million is something they can indeed turn down to send a message.
I mean, he's not the player who's constantly complaying they're playing too much, tbh
Baseline_Bungle
Legend
I really don't know the figures but I can tell you that Sinner LOVES to accumulate money - and really HATES to part with it.
In fact, he openly talks/brags about how cheap he is, going so far as to order the plain pasta in a restaurant, instead of a more appetizing ragù, just to save a couple of euro
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
I really don't know the figures but I can tell you that Sinner LOVES to accumulate money - and really HATES to part with it.
In fact, he openly talks/brags about how cheap he is, going so far as to order the plain pasta in a restaurant, instead of a more appetizing ragù, just to save a couple of euro
There is an old video where he, gentle soul, explains to a fellow ATP player from Austria where you can eat cheaply in Bergamo IIRC. Reminded me of my own youth. Now Sinner seems to always pay the bills for his staff and others when he is out. He seems to be hard to himself and generous to others which I noticed women find quite attractive.
Frankly for the youngsters the idol Nadal and maybe Djokovic part must be also a big draw and they got it right.
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
That's interesting. I didn't know that about him... but I do know the type. I wonder what he thinks when he's in NYC for the US Open, and some "Italian" restaurant here is charging $28 for pasta scotta.I really don't know the figures but I can tell you that Sinner LOVES to accumulate money - and really HATES to part with it.
In fact, he openly talks/brags about how cheap he is, going so far as to order the plain pasta in a restaurant, instead of a more appetizing ragù, just to save a couple of euro
If he only does it with himself, and he is indeed generous with others, I find that admirable (because it must be hard for him on some level).
NaDjoFed
Semi-Pro
$6m prize money for the winner is not exaclty an exhibition
Yeah well plenty of high-profile exhibitions pay well. It's a rarity to see a bagel in these situations.
Baseline_Bungle
Legend
They're playing for the biggest purse in the history of the sport - this is 100% competitive pro tennis, not some Bahrami clown show. If you don't understand that, then I wonder how you can spend all your time reading and writing about tennis... But I think you do. In which case I warmly suggest you go see someone about your very serious case of butthurt.
Nate7-5
Hall of Fame
Who lets an opponent into a set?
A player currently operating at a mug level, Mr.Daniil.
Tallawah Tennis
Semi-Pro
Yah, man, I can see your point, it does seem a tad excessive on the face of it as Daniil was never going to win this match. Jannik bullied him in this match, which made it uncomfortable viewing from that perspective. But I see it a bit differently in that the dudes are likely to want to show their best level. And Daniil was poor - up 0-40 in a game and still losing it.
Dude was never going to lose the match, so the high stakes point is irrelevant. A highly lucrative exhibition is still exactly an exhibition.
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