Sinner claims he didn’t “play for money” in Saudi exhibition Six Kings Slam

Jannik Sinner has created a lot of history on the tennis court this year but nothing filled his pockets more than the triumph in Six Kings Slam, an exhibition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 16-19.

There, Sinner defeated Russian Daniil Medvedev, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, and world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz to bag a whopping $6 million — highest prize money for an event in the racquet sport’s history.

Currently in Paris for the final ATP Masters 1000 tournament of 2024, the Italian, however, denied money being the greatest motivation for him in Riyadh.

I don’t play for money, it’s very simple.”

Jannik Sinner

All what Sinner claimed he wished to gain out of the exhibition was an assessment of his level as he faced the top talents.

“Of course, it’s a nice prize and everything but for me, I went there because there were possibly the six best players in the world and then you can measure yourself with them,” he told Eurosport. “It was also a nice event for me. It was the first time I went to Riyadh, it was something very nice, you know, when you come back as a winner. For me, it was more that, ‘Okay, I played the matches in the right way, and this hopefully can improve me as a player also for the future.’ And that’s it.

“The money is important but not that much. I love a good life also without this money. I think it’s much more important the health I have and surrounding myself with great people, the family… then the money is just an extra.”

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