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The Six Kings Slam, an exhibition tennis tournament scheduled in Saudi Arabia, has been postponed from Oct. 21, 22, and 24 to December 27–30, Riyadh Season, the tournament’s organizers, announced Wednesday.
It appeared in recent weeks that, despite the ongoing war in the region, the tournament was set to proceed as usual, especially after it was announced last week that American rising star Learner Tien would replace the injured defending champion Jannik Sinner. But plans changed after 12 people were killed at Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday following an attack by Iran-backed Houthis.
The King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh will remain closed this week following the attack.
“The decision reflects Riyadh Season’s commitment to delivering sporting events to the highest standards, following an assessment of the organizational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament and their potential impact on the quality of the audience experience,” the announcement said.
Six Kings Slam, which launched three years ago, boasts a $6 million first prize, more than any Grand Slam or ATP event. The event will feature players including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev. It will be aired on Netflix.
Other Middle East Events
The decision to postpone the Six Kings Slam puts the spotlight on other events scheduled in the region.
On Oct. 31, Canelo Álvarez is scheduled to fight Christian Mbilli in Riyadh. The fight is still currently scheduled to take place, with Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh saying on social media Sunday that Álvarez informed him of his intentions to still fight.
“Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens. He fears nothing,” Alalshikh wrote on X.
A week later, the WWE will hold their premium live event Crown Jewel in Riyadh. The wrestling promotion has not announced any plans to reschedule, and has continued to promote the event to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Formula One is reportedly expected to make a decision on its final two races of the year (Qatar on Nov. 29, Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6). Earlier this year, F1 canceled two races in the Middle East (Saudi and Bahrain), though it ended up making up the Bahrain GP by holding it in Malaysia earlier this month.
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