Six Kings Slam in Riyadh postponed after deadly attacks ahead of 21 October start
The Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, which had been scheduled to begin on 21 October and was due to feature Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, has been postponed following deadly attacks on the Saudi capital.
The three-day event had also been set to include Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien, and represented the third edition of the lucrative exhibition won last year by Jannik Sinner. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contested last year's Six Kings Slams final, with the winner taking home a reported £4.5m. Organisers announced the postponement after assessing organisational and logistical challenges.
Yemen's Houthi movement launched attacks over the weekend, including a missile strike on Riyadh's airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Saudi Arabia's energy minister vowed a "serious" response after the Iran-backed Houthis also targeted the kingdom's oil and gas facilities.
Six Kings Slam organisers told BBC Sport: "The decision reflects Riyadh Season's commitment to delivering sporting events to the highest standards, following an assessment of the organizational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament and their potential impact on the quality of the audience experience." The ANB Arena, which hosts the Six Kings Slam, is located in the north of Riyadh about 31km away from the King Khalid International Airport.
The tournament has been rescheduled for 27-30 December. The announcement came amid wider disruption to Saudi sport: three Saudi Pro League fixtures were postponed on Tuesday, including one involving Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.
The league said the Al-Riyadh v Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad v Al-Shabab matches in Jeddah have been pushed back until December, while Al-Nassr's trip to Al-Ahli in Jeddah has been moved to March, citing "logistical considerations." On Monday, former Manchester United star Ronaldo scored for Al-Nassr in an AFC Champions League match delayed by an hour because of a missile alert.
Other sporting events are being monitored for possible impact. Organisers of the PIF Saudi International have come under review by the Asian Tour, which said it is "closely monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia" and added, "We are discussing the developing situation with our partner Golf Saudi with respect to hosting the PIF Saudi International in Riyadh in November," the tour told Reuters.
The Six Kings Slam will now take place from 27-30 December in Riyadh under the new schedule announced by organisers, while domestic league fixtures and other international events continue to be rescheduled amid security concerns.