Jannik Sinner speaks of potential Saudi Arabia Grand Slam: ‘This country is going to be very important for us’
Jannik Sinner has predicted Saudi Arabia will be “very important” for the future of tennis after he pocketed $6 million prize money for winning three matches.
Saudi Arabia’s latest sportswashing venture is the ‘6 Kings Slam’ which began last year and offers top players an obscene amount of money for comparatively little work.
The prize money earned by Sinner is more than the winner of each Slam received this year and has been enough for Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefano Tsitsipas to all ignore human rights issues surrounding the country.
Amnesty International has previously described it as a “Kingdom of Repression” but despite the numerous issues raised by groups like Amnesty, Saudi Arabia’s involvement in tennis continues to grow and as well as the exhibition tournament, the Public Investment Fund, which is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, sponsors the ATP rankings and the WTA Finals will be held in Riyadh.
Now Sinner has raised the possibility of further involvement for the country and when asked if Saudi Arabia could one day have its own Grand Slam, the Italian did not rule it out.
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“I don’t know. I don’t know how big it can be, although it’s already made history for other reasons,” he said after defeating Alcaraz in the final.
“For myself, I’m looking forward to coming back because it’s great to be here, playing in different circumstances with different people.
“I think this country is going to be very important for us in the future, that’s for sure. It’s essential to make tennis as big a sport as possible, and for that we need teamwork, behind the scenes.
“I’m curious to see how everything develops in the future. I can’t predict what will happen, but we’re all hoping for something positive.”
Sinner was also full of praise for the event, saying he has seen a lot of improvement in facilities in the last few years.
“I’m very happy; it’s been a fantastic week,” he said. “I’ve been here for five days, and it’s been sensational to see how big the changes have been.
“People are interested in our sport, in what we do, in how we play. The atmosphere has been great. What impressed me most was the passion of the crowd.
“They wait for you at the airport exit; they recognise you as an athlete. The city is growing, it’s bigger; we don’t realise it until we’re back.
“There have been impressive changes in just one year; the infrastructure has improved a lot, both the stadium and the training courts.
“We’re here to play at our best, to try to show what our sport is like, how fast we can play, how things can change. I think each and every one of the six players has been happy to be here.”
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