Huge prize money revealed for exhibition tournament featuring Taylor Fritz
A prize pool of $1m will be on offer to eight ATP players taking part in the MGM Slam, an exhibition tournament held in Las Vegas in March.
Lucrative non-tour events are becoming increasingly common in tennis with this year’s Six Kings Slam rewarding winner Jannik Sinner with a prize pot of $6m and while other tournaments do not match the mega offers of Saudi Arabia, they are tempting enough for star players to take time away from the regular tournaments.
While the Saudi event looks set to return next season – along with Australia’s One Point Slam which will score the winner one million Australian dollars – eight of the top men’s players will head to Las Vegas on the same day that Indian Wells is due to begin.
Of those competing, Taylor Fritz is the highest-ranked player and he is joined by Tommy Paul, Casper Ruud, Gael Monfils, Alexander Bublik, Joao Fonseca, and Lorenzo Musetti.
Nick Kyrgios, who is working his way back to playing after an injury-hit 2025, will also take part.
Despite being on at the same time as Indian Wells, the trimmed-down nature of the exhibition tournament means players should still be able to compete in both. Instead of sets, players will compete to win a 10-point tiebreak meaning there will be minimal tennis played in comparison to a major tournament.
The prize money though should ensure players remain committed as the winner earns a hefty chunk of a $1m kitty.
It is the third edition of the event with the first being a one-off match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafa Nadal while in 2023, the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka competed.
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Last year, the tournament was postponed after a number of players dropped out either due to fatigue/injury or in Jannik Sinner’s case, a drugs ban.
The event though comes at a time when several high-profile players have complained the tour is too demanding.
The likes of Alcaraz have been criticised for playing too many exhibition matches but he insists the concentration levels means he is able to do more.
“First of all, it’s normal for people to think this way and not understand why we complain about the schedule when we then schedule exhibitions.”
“For me, the biggest difference is that in a tournament you have to maintain concentration, and it is demanding both physically and mentally. An exhibition is only one day. You just have to keep your focus, warm up and train a little and only for one game.
“An exhibition can be interpreted in different ways. You can do it just for fun, play good tennis, good blows and have fun. Or you can take it very seriously and use tactics and patterns to replicate them in tournaments.
“I will try to take these games seriously, but at the same time have as much fun as possible.”
