Six Kings Slam postponed to December, clashes with 2027 season
Riyadh Season has pushed the third Six Kings Slam from October 21-24 to December 27-30, citing “organizational and logistical challenges.” The new dates leave Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and the four other invitees finishing in Riyadh 48 hours before the 2027 season opens with the United Cup in Australia.
Alexander Zverev, Six Kings Slam | © Riyadh Season
The Six Kings Slam has been postponed. Riyadh Season announced on Tuesday that the third edition of its exhibition event, originally scheduled for October 21, 22 and 24, will instead be held from December 27 to 30, 2026.
The reason given in the announcement is organizational, though Tennis Majors understands the postponement is linked to the international situation. “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 release reads.
It adds that preparations are continuing for the rescheduled dates and thanks “all players, partners, and tennis fans from across the Kingdom and abroad for their continued interest.”
The release makes no mention of security. It follows by five days the attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday, October 8, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, in which Saudi authorities said three Saudi citizens were killed, including a Saudia captain. Two aircraft were hit. Riyadh Season has not linked the two, and no organizer has commented beyond the written statement.
What the new dates create is a scheduling problem the first set did not have. October 21-24 sat in the week between Shanghai and the European indoor swing. December 27-30 sits at the very end of the off-season: the 2027 ATP season opens on January 1 with the United Cup in Australia, and the Australian Open begins on January 17. A player finishing the Riyadh event on December 30 would have roughly 48 hours to reach Australia for the start of the season, with no acclimatization and no pre-season block left to protect.
48 hours before the United Cup
The six players announced for the field were Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Learner Tien, the last two both debutants. De Minaur is Australian and a United Cup regular. Tien, 20, was added on October 6 as the replacement for Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion, who withdrew injured. Riyadh Season has not said whether all six have confirmed availability for the December dates, and no player has publicly commented since the postponement.
The Six Kings Slam is an exhibition. It carries no ATP ranking points and is not part of the Tour calendar, which is precisely what allows it to be moved at six days’ notice. It is played in a knockout format at the ANB Arena in Riyadh and streamed on Netflix. Reported figures from the previous editions put the appearance fee at 1.5 million dollars per player, with 6 million dollars to the winner, a payout larger than any Grand Slam singles prize.
Sinner won both the 2024 and 2025 editions, beating Alcaraz in the final each time. His absence from this year’s field had already removed the event’s defining rivalry before the postponement.
For now, Riyadh Season has directed ticket holders and the public to the Ehtemam Center for inquiries and updates. No revised ticketing arrangements, match schedule or confirmation of the line-up has been published.
