Jannik Sinner’s $6M Saudi Payday Tops Any Grand Slam Purse

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz played in their sixth tournament final of the year this weekend. Sinner prevailed for just the second time this year, but it also just so happened to be the most lucrative.

On Saturday, the Italian won the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to take home $6 million, a prize larger than any Grand Slam tournament this year. The single-elimination tournament, which featured just six players, granted Sinner a first-round bye, meaning he needed to win only two matches to take home the title.

The tournament—which also featured Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas—awarded each player a $1.5 million participation fee, with the winner receiving an additional $4.5 million for a total purse of $13.5 million.

Sinner also won the event last year, which had the same prize.

The largest prize on the ATP calendar this year was $5 million at the US Open, which Alcaraz won. The ATP Finals start next month, and the champion can win more than $5 million if they finish the tournament undefeated.

Unofficial Earnings

Because the Six Kings Slam is an exhibition tournament, the earnings are not considered in the players’ official career earnings count. Sinner currently sits in No. 7 all-time with $48.8 million in career earnings. He sits right behind Zverev and Alcaraz.

Here are the top eight in ATP career earnings:

• No. 1: Novak Djokovic, $190.2 million
• No. 2: Rafael Nadal, $134.6 million
• No. 3: Roger Federer, $130.6 million
• No. 4: Andy Murray, $64.7 million 
• No. 5: Alexander Zverev, $54.7 million
• No. 6: Carlos Alcaraz, $53.5 million
• No. 7: Jannik Sinner, $48.8 million
• No. 8: Daniil Medvedev, $47 million

Sinner would not have passed Zverev and Alcaraz in the rankings even if this year’s tournament were considered in the earnings. However, the 24-year-old would be ahead of the other two if last year’s tournament were included.

Saudi Arabia Eyes NFL

The Six Kings Slam is just one of the many sporting events produced by the Saudi Arabian government in recent years, and the NFL may be next.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority, said Thursday that he’d like Saudi Arabia to host an NFL game as the league continues to schedule international regular-season games in Brazil and Europe.

Last month, the WWE announced it was hosting WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia in 2027, the first WrestleMania outside North America.