Novak Djokovic in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia wants to host major sports events at any cost, including tennis. They are organizing an event called “The Six Kings,” where Novak Djokovic and other players will compete for an incredible prize pool of six million dollars, with each player receiving 1.5 million dollars just for participating. According to the British “Telegraph,” the Saudis have devised a clever way to bypass ATP rules, which prohibit top tennis players from competing in unofficial tournaments lasting three or more consecutive days.

The tournament in October will be “split” so that players compete for two days and then have a day off. Originally planned for February, the tournament will now take place from October 14th, as a deliberate strategy to circumvent the rules, as ATP prohibits players within the “Top 30” from participating in exhibition tournaments at the same time as Masters 1000 or ATP 500 events. During the week of October 14th, only two tennis tournaments will be organized, both belonging to the ATP 200 series, the lowest category in that range.

The English journalists conclude that the Saudis’ sole aim is to host major events in Riyadh, predicting that new exhibitions in Saudi Arabia will continue to attract attention in the future.