“It’s not a secret why we play these events”: Jannik Sinner defends exhibition events after Six Kings Slam win

Jannik Sinner defended exhibition tournaments—joining his rival Carlos Alcaraz—after finishing as champion of the Six Kings Slam. The Italian, current World No. 2, defended the importance of holding exhibition tournaments with the tour's top players after receiving a lucrative prize for defending the trophy.

The Six Kings Slam has attracted attention since its announcement back in 2024, especially for offering the most millionaire prize in tennis history: $6 million for the champion, surpassing the prize money offered by Grand Slam tournaments, and which took Sinner—for the second consecutive year—just three victories to claim the multi-million dollar prize.

In the final, he defeated Alcaraz, just like in 2024, although this time comfortably 6-2, 6-4. The exhibition featured a luxury invited draw with major stars such as Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

However, one of the most commented topics in the last couple of years is the hectic ATP calendar, in which the stars practically have no rest throughout the season. Recently, the Achilles tendon injury to Holger Rune—while competing at the Stockholm Open—revived the debate, with Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz calling for the ATP to take action against the large number of injuries players are exposed to when fulfilling mandatory commitments.

Nevertheless, one of those who defended the exhibitions was the four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner, who believes they are important for continuing to grow tennis in terms of audiences and presence worldwide.

“The product we already have is incredible, we have everything: big tournaments around the world, big audiences… but can we improve it? Of course,” the World No. 2 said. “Events dedicated to amateurs and children, exhibition, are fundamental: that’s why we’re here. There are several reasons why we’re here, it’s not a secret, but if we have the opportunity to make everything better, why not?”

The large number of mandatory official tournaments has not prevented several of the same players who criticize the schedule—like Fritz or even Carlos Alcaraz—from participating in exhibitions throughout the year, adding a greater physical load. The Spanish World No. 1 recently clarified that competing in an exhibition tournament is not comparable to the demands of long-duration events, such as Masters 1000s or Grand Slams.

“When I see a lot of people complaining about how we are defending the exhibitions, I don't understand them because, as I said, it’s not really demanding mentally (compared to) when we’re having such long events, like two weeks or two-and-a-half weeks. It’s really tough.”