Yannick Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic
Chiner had reached the final before. The Italian defeated Djokovic 6:2, 6:7 (0:7), 6:4. “We were both a bit tired. It was a tough game,” said Sinner, who continued his winning streak by winning a valuable fight. He had already won the ATP Masters final in Shanghai a few days ago against the Serbian team. Now he needed 2:27 hours to defeat his rival.
The surprisingly well-marketed “Six Kings Slam” and the participation of the sport’s top stars caused controversy early on. Critics accuse Saudi Arabia of using “sportswashing” to cover up wrongdoings such as human rights abuses. The star line-up in Riyadh is also interesting in light of the debate about stress in professional tennis. Algaraz, who recently complained loudly that the calendar is too full (“it’s going to kill us”), is at the start of the Laver Cup in Saudi Arabia, just as he was in Berlin last time.
Each of the six players will receive at least $1.5 million, with the winner receiving $6 million. That’s more than double what world No. 1 Janic Sinner earned for winning the US Open.
