Six Kings Slam Moved From October to December as Riyadh Attacks Close the Airport

The richest week in exhibition tennis has been called off with seven days to spare. The Six Kings Slam, due to run October 21, 22 and 24 in Riyadh, has been moved to December 27-30 after attacks on the Saudi capital closed its international airport, Reuters reports. Six of the biggest names in the men’s game now have an empty week, a $1.5 million guarantee in limbo, and a decision to make about playing three days after Christmas.

What was announced about the Six Kings Slam on Wednesday?

A postponement, not a cancellation. Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, shared the decision in a statement on X on Wednesday, Reuters reports. The statement said the move followed an assessment of the organisational and logistical challenges of hosting the tournament and their potential impact on the quality of the audience experience. The third edition of the event, held at the ANB Arena, will now be played December 27-30, between Christmas and the opening of the 2027 season in Australia.

Why was the Riyadh exhibition moved?

Because the city’s airport is closed. King Khalid International Airport was struck by drone and missile attacks attributed to Houthi rebels from Yemen during the past week, Reuters reports, and the New York Times has reported at least 14 people killed and hundreds injured in the attacks. AFP reporting carried by the Seoul Economic Daily puts a missile strike on the passenger terminal on October 10 and a second projectile near the terminal on October 12, with airports in Abha and Dammam also hit. An exhibition built on flying six players and a global broadcast operation into Riyadh cannot run under those conditions, whatever the official statement’s careful wording.

Who was due to play, and who had already pulled out?

The field was Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Learner Tien, Reuters reports. Tien was there because of an absence this page has already tracked: Jannik Sinner’s knee ended his 2026 season in early October, and the Italian was the two-time defending champion in Riyadh, having beaten Alcaraz in both finals. The other five are all still active this week. Alcaraz is out of Shanghai already, beaten by Zizou Bergs in a loss that handed Zverev the year-end No. 1 ranking, while Zverev is playing through an ankle problem he saved four set points on against Alexander Bublik. Fritz, another Riyadh entry, had his own strange Shanghai week, replaying match points against Stefanos Tsitsipas after a ball fell from his pocket.

What happens to the money and the December dates?

The money is the reason this event exists, and it is large. Each participant is guaranteed an appearance fee of $1.5 million, with the winner earning an additional $4.5 million, Reuters reports. Sinner walked away with $6 million in each of the first two years. What nobody can say yet is whether the December dates carry the same field: Reuters reports it is not known whether the players have committed to the replacement dates. December 27-30 sits in the middle of the tour’s short off-season and days before the Australian swing opens the 2027 season, which is a very different ask from a free week after Shanghai.

Is the rest of Saudi sport affected too?

Yes, and tennis is not the biggest item on the list. AFP reporting describes three Saudi Pro League matches postponed, including one involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, and some AFC Champions League matches kicking off an hour late because of security checks. The AFC president has left open delaying the Asian Cup, due to open in Saudi Arabia in January, by a full year. Japan’s football association has announced it will skip the FIFA eWorld Cup opening in Jeddah this week on safety grounds, and the organisers of next month’s Saudi International golf event are monitoring the situation. The Six Kings Slam is the first major event to move. On this week’s evidence, it may not be the last.