Stefanos Tsitsipas joins Six Kings Slam after Jack Draper’s injury exit

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been confirmed as the final competitor for the "Six Kings Slam" exhibition after Jack Draper withdrew due to an injury. The event, held in Saudi Arabia, will have its second edition, and the Greek player will make his debut, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, and Taylor Fritz—making up the current top five on the tour.

The sixth spot was originally for Jack Draper, who was confirmed for the event a couple of months ago. However, the world No. 7 recently announced that he was ending his 2025 season due to an arm injury that would require a long recovery, ending his season after withdrawing before the second round of the US Open.

"It is very difficult for me to accept as I was building some incredible momentum this year and playing some great stuff," he posted on his social media channels. "However, I've been through this before and I always come back stronger as I'm so motivated to fulfil my potential as a player."

The tournament will be held in a month during the Riyadh Season, from October 15, 16, and 18, repeating the multi-million dollar prize money from 2024, with a total of $13.5 million to be distributed and up to $6 million for the champion.

Tsitsipas's appearance in the Six Kings Slam is somewhat of a surprise, considering he is coming off an inconsistent season where he has lost prominence on the tour. The Greek is currently ranked world No. 27 and has not advanced past the second round in any Grand Slam. In fact, in his last six appearances, he lost three times in the first round and three times in the second round.

The former world No. 3 has a record of just 22-18 this season and has not won consecutive matches since the Barcelona Open in early April. His last appearance was in the Davis Cup, where he was defeated by Joao Fonseca, who gave Brazil the win and a spot in the 2026 Qualifiers.

"Surprise, surprise!" Tsitsipas posted on social media along with the promotional poster for the Six Kings Slam. "Excited to compete in the Six Kings Slam next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia."

The Six Kings Slam debuted in 2024 as part of the Riyadh Season, a series of sports and entertainment events in Saudi Arabia. For its first edition, it featured Rafael Nadal, who made one of his final appearances on the tennis courts after announcing his retirement. He was joined by Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev for the exhibition, in which he started as a seeded player with a direct bye to the semifinals.

The tournament distributed $13.5 million, making history by giving the champion, Jannik Sinner, $6 million, which was almost double the prize money for a Grand Slam champion ($3.8M) at the time. The rest of the players each took home $1.5 million for their participation. Medvedev only won three games in his debut against Sinner (6-0, 6-3), while Rune also couldn't put on a great show in his loss to Alcaraz (6-4, 6-2). In the semifinals, Sinner defeated Djokovic in three sets, while Alcaraz dispatched Nadal in straight sets. A third-place match was also played between Nadal and Djokovic, making it their final encounter. In the final, Sinner defeated Alcaraz in a tight three-set match, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3.