"It's actually a bit more complicated": Daniil Medvedev shares reason behind not participating in Six Kings Slam this year

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has shared the reason behind not participating in the ongoing Six Kings Slam event. The multi-million dollar exhibition event is set to end on Saturday, where the world number one, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, and the world number two, Italy’s Jannik Sinner, will feature in the final for the second consecutive year.

The other four players who featured in the competition were Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, America’s Taylor Fritz, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Germany’s Alexander Zverev. Tsitsipas was not originally drafted for the competition, but he managed to cement a spot after the withdrawal of Britain’s Jack Draper, who finished his season early to deal with an arm injury.

The competition’s format was interesting, given that two players —Alcaraz and Djokovic—qualified directly for the semifinals. It is not clear why the defending champion was not given that luxury. 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.

In the semifinal, Djokovic’s journey came to an end as he lost to Sinner in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2. In the other semifinal, Fritz ended up on the losing side to Alcaraz in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2. Sinner is defending his title as he lifted it last year after beating Alcaraz in the final with a score of 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–3.

The tournament has remained in the news because of the big $6 million payout. One of the big-name players who missed out on this year’s competition is Russia’s Medvedev, who did participate last year and lost to Sinner in straight sets with a score of 6-0, 6-3. Medvedev, who is currently taking part in the Almaty Open, was quoted in a report by the English media outlet Daily Express's US Version, where he shared the reason for not featuring in the ongoing edition of the Six Kings Slam.

Medvedev stated that he thought he would not be invited for the competition because of his poor form this year which pushed him down to 15th in the world. Medvedev stated that it was because of this reason that he decided to accept the invitation of playing in the Almaty Open and once he committed, he did not afford to go back on his word.

"It's actually a bit more complicated. First, as far as I know, it's not $1.5 million per player - it depends on several factors," the former US Open champion said. "Since I've dropped in the rankings, I understood that I probably wouldn't be invited, because they usually take the top six - last year they only made an exception for Rafa [Nadal]. So I entered the tournament in Kazakhstan, and once I commit to something, I follow through. Maybe there were some discussions elsewhere, but generally, if I've agreed to play somewhere, I keep my word. That's why I'm here, and I don't regret it. Besides, I need ranking points and real match play, so I'll try to deliver some good tennis."

In the Almaty Open, Medvedev is having a fabulous time as he cemented his spot in the final after beating Australia’s James Duckworth in the semifinal with a score of 6-7, 6-3, 6-2. With that win, Medvedev is now one win away from winning his first title in more than two years. His last title came way back in 2023 in Italy where he lifted the Rome Masters after beating Denmark’s Holger Rune in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 7-5.