The draw for the Six Kings Slam, a new exhibition tournament featuring Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, was announced on Saturday, September 28. The event is set to take place from October 16-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fans will need to wait to see Djokovic and Nadal in action, as both legends have received byes into the semifinals. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune will battle it out in the quarterfinals on the opening day, October 16.
Alcaraz will face Rune, with their last encounter occurring during Alcaraz’s victorious run at Wimbledon last year. The winner will advance to play Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, in the semifinals. On the other side, Sinner and Medvedev will renew their rivalry, which has seen four of their 13 career meetings take place this year alone. The winner of this clash will go up against Djokovic, the 24-time Major winner.
The semifinals will be held on October 17, followed by a rest day on October 18. The tournament will conclude on October 19 with both the final and a third-place match.
With the biggest stars of men’s tennis gathering for this event, excitement is building among fans. Additionally, with rumors circulating about Nadal’s potential retirement at the end of the season, this could be one of the last chances to see him in action.
The Six Kings Slam marks Nadal’s return to competition, his first event since the Paris Olympics. After his campaign there, Nadal pulled out of the US Open and the Laver Cup. Recently, he was named in Spain’s squad for the Davis Cup Finals in November, sparking speculation that it might be his farewell tournament, which will take place in Spain. However, fans won’t have to wait until then, as the Six Kings Slam will offer an opportunity to watch Nadal face off against other top players in an exciting showdown. So far, Nadal has only played Djokovic this year, when they met in the second round of the Paris Olympics, where Djokovic won in straight sets.
