FILE – Rafael Nadal of Spain reflects between games in his quarter-final match against Jordan Thompson of Australia during the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Nadal withdrew from the Australian Open with an injury a week before the season’s first major was due to start after playing just one tournament in his comeback from 12 months on the sidelines. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard, File)
RIYADH – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and new Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner are slated to participate in an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia in October, the kingdom’s latest move into tennis.
Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune are the other players involved in what is being touted as the “6 Kings Slam” in Riyadh.
All but Rune have won at least one Grand Slam title. Djokovic holds the men’s record with 24, followed by Nadal with 22. Alcaraz has two, and Sinner and Medvedev one apiece.
Nadal was recently announced as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
Rights groups say women continue to face discrimination in most aspects of family life in the kingdom, and homosexuality is a major taboo, as it is in most of the rest of the Middle East.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has worked to get himself out of international isolation since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He also clearly wants to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil.
The ATP men’s tour moved its annual tournament for leading players who are 21-and-under to Jedda, and the WTA women’s tour is in negotiations to put its season-ending championship in Saudi Arabia.
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