"It is a very interesting situation": Jannik Sinner questions court conditions at Six Kings Slam

World number two Italy’s Jannik Sinner has questioned the surface being used at the Six Kings Slam. The second edition of the three-day exhibition competition is being played in Riyadh, with six top players participating.

Sinner is defending his title as he lifted it last year after beating the current world number one, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, with a score of 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–3. Along with Sinner and Alcaraz, the other four players to take part in the event will be former world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia, America’s Taylor Fritz, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The tournament’s format is interesting, as two players have already qualified directly for the semifinals: Alcaraz and Djokovic. The two other semifinalists were confirmed on day one, with two matches played. The winner of the first match was world number two Sinner, who defeated Tsitsipas in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. In the other match, Fritz defeated Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4.

After the match, Sinner, while speaking to the media, questioned the ‘unusual indoor court’. Sinner stated that the surface is not one he has played on regularly, as it is fast and bouncy at the start but becomes slower as the ball ages. “It's a very unusual indoor court,” said Sinner. “It is a very interesting situation we have to deal with here on the court because it's quite bouncy, with new balls it's quite fast and it slows down with with used balls.”

Sinner then spoke about his opponent, Tsitsipas. Sinner stated that his focus was on playing the game aggressively, which he achieved, helping him overcome his opponent. “We played already many times, of course,” said Sinner. “By the time we become better players and we know each other's game a little bit more, so I knew a little bit also tactically how to prepare for the match. I just tried to stay quite aggressive, especially on the return games. I felt like I was serving very well in the important moments.”

Sinner’s next opponent will be the former world number one and legendary tennis star Djokovic. In the overall head-to-head, Sinner leads 6-4. This year, both players faced off twice, and both reached the semifinals of the Grand Slams. On both occasions, Sinner emerged victorious.

At the French Open, Sinner came out on top against Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6. Later at Wimbledon, Sinner once again came out on top against Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Talking about his next opponent, Sinner stated that it remains a ‘huge honour’ to play against a player like Djokovic in different competitions.

Sinner also highlighted that it is ‘great’ to have someone like Djokovic still playing at the highest level, who is a ‘role model’ for a lot of other professional athletes. Sinner said that the reason Djokovic is still playing and competing against the best is because of his ‘hunger’ to win big titles.

“It’s a huge honour to play again, against a legend like Novak,” said Sinner. “It's great to have him still here playing in the highest level of our sport. He’s a great role model. He's still hungry to win big titles and and that's why he still keeps playing. Hopefully it's going to be interesting tomorrow.”

In the other semifinal, Fritz will take on world number one Alcaraz. In the overall head-to-head, Alcaraz leads 4-1. In 2025, both players faced off three times, with Alcaraz coming out on top in the semifinal of Wimbledon and the final of the Japan Open. On the other hand, Fritz came out on top against the Spaniard in the match during the Laver Cup.