The second edition of the ‘6 Kings Slam’ will be shown on Netflix as the controversial tournament returns in October.
The Saudi Arabian-backed tournament sees the six top male players travel to Riyadh to take part in a series of exhibition matches in which each will receive more than £1m in prize money just for turning up.
The tournament, which Andy Murray once said “nobody cares” about, is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and offers players an obscene amount of money given the relatively few matches they take part in.
Last year, Jannik Sinner won £4.8 million for playing just three matches as he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Those two, alongside Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz, will take part in the 2025 edition set to run from October 15 to 18.
And now Netflix have stepped in to acquire the rights to show the tournament, which has not yet announced the format, offering ‘unparalleled access with over 20 cutting-edge cameras.’
It is the latest venture into live sports from the American streaming service having previously shown boxing, golf, WWE and the NFL.
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The tournament though has been criticized by many voices who point to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, in particular surrounding gender inequality, while Murray has been one of few players to have negative comments around it.
Following a trailer that teased last year’s tournament with the players dressed up in costumes, Murray responded to Liam Broady’s claim that he “Would watch this movie. 10/10” by saying: “Except it’s not a movie and you won’t watch it because it’s an exhibition tennis event that nobody cares about.”
It is also part of a growing part of Saudi Arabia’s influence on tennis. The country is the host of the WTA Finals and has a five-year sponsorship of the WTA and ATP rankings.
In January 2024, Rafa Nadal was appointed ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
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