Stefanos Tsitsipas just got a surprise invitation to the 2025 Six Kings Slam after Jack Draper had to pull out of the mega-money exhibition event.
It’s pretty unexpected news, honestly. Tsitsipas wasn’t exactly the obvious choice to replace Draper at the Saudi Arabia tournament.
When Draper announced he was ending his season early due to injury, everyone figured someone would step in pretty quickly. After all, we’re talking about $1.5 million just for showing up to play in Riyadh from October 15-18.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 27 | 3,740 | 28 - 10 |
Ben Shelton seemed like the most logical pick.
He’s currently ranked sixth in the world, which would’ve kept the tournament’s whole "six best players" vibe intact. But Shelton’s been dealing with his own injury problems since the US Open and had to withdraw from the Japan Open in Tokyo.
That left organizers scrambling for alternatives.
Holger Rune was another possibility – he actually played in last year’s inaugural event. But tournament organizer Turki Alalshikh went with Tsitsipas instead, which honestly caught a lot of people off guard.
Why Tsitsipas is a surprising choice
The Greek star is having what’s probably the worst season of his career. He’s been battling a back injury that’s kept him from playing regularly or at the level he’s used to.
But here’s the thing – Tsitsipas has the résumé to back up being called a "king."
The guy’s a three-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion and won the ATP Finals. Even more impressive? He’s beaten all three tennis legends – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer – twice each during his career.
That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
The full lineup is set
With Tsitsipas now confirmed, the six "kings" are locked in. The other five spots went to the top-ranked players: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, and Taylor Fritz.
The format should be similar to last year’s event.
It runs over four days with a rest day in the middle – that’s to keep the ATP happy since their rules don’t allow exhibition events lasting three straight days.
With six players, expect two to get byes straight to the semifinals while the other four battle it out in quarterfinal matches. Last year, Djokovic and Nadal were the lucky ones who got to skip the first round.
This time around, it’ll probably be world No. 1 Alcaraz and world No. 2 Sinner getting the preferential treatment.
Not a bad consolation prize for Tsitsipas, even if his season hasn’t gone as planned. A quick trip to Saudi Arabia and a guaranteed payday might be exactly what he needs right now.
