Thank you Six Kings Slam for an incredible week! I enjoyed it a lot and what a privilege to play with so many great players. #SixKingSlam #RiyadhSeason
Roger Federer's former coach defends Jannik Sinner's claim on not playing for money - "There's nothing wrong with that"
ATPTuesday, 29 October 2024 at 06:30
Following his massive payday at the recent Six King Slams in Riyadh, World No.1 Jannik Sinner has been criticized for competing at the event due to the lucrative prize money. The Italian has denied such accusations, with Paul Annacone, former coach of Roger Federer, coming to Sinner's defense.
The US Open champion was selected alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune to compete at the exhibition event in Saudi Arabia. Each competitor would receive a $1.5million appearance, with the winner receiving $6 million. Sinner would prevail at the tournament, but received backlash from fans who believe he went to the event to cash in on the big reward.
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Sinner refutes claims, Annacone backs his statement
The World No.1 dismissed speculation that he signed up just for the money, stating he competed at the event for the challenge.
"I don’t play for money. It’s very simple,” Sinner told Eurosport in a now viral clip. “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.
"It was also a nice event for me. It was the first time I went to Riyadh and it was nice. 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."
Sinner's statement drew a laughing emoji response from three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. However, Annacone believes there is some truth to the Italian's claims.
"Look, it’s a big business,” began Annacone. “I don’t think he plays solely for money. Obviously, he has got a lot more integrity than that. But just like any other big business, there is a price for players to go to certain places at certain times of the year and sure it was the best players in the world and an opportunity to face them, but it was also an opportunity to make the right business decision for him.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t think he needs to defend playing for money or not. The way he said it sounds ironic. This is something we always talk about with the top players. There is a lot of money thrown around?”
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