The Six Kings Slam, the lucrative tennis exhibition set to bring Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev to Riyadh, has been postponed following deadly attacks on the Saudi capital. The three-day event, originally scheduled to begin on 21 October at the ANB Arena, will now take place from 27 to 30 December, organisers confirmed.
The decision comes after Yemen's Houthi movement launched a wave of strikes on Saudi Arabia over the weekend, including a missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Saturday that killed 13 people and injured more than 300. The ANB Arena sits roughly 31km from the airport, in the north of the city.
A Star-Studded Field Left Waiting
Alongside Alcaraz, Djokovic and Zverev, the field also featured Australia's Alex de Minaur and American duo Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien. The tournament, won last year by Italy's Jannik Sinner, has quickly become one of the most talked-about dates on tennis's off-season calendar, drawing some of the sport's biggest names to the Gulf for a short but richly rewarded showcase event.
"The decision reflects Riyadh Season's commitment to delivering sporting events to the highest standards, following an assessment of the organizational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament and their potential impact on the quality of the audience experience," organisers told BBC Sport, confirming the new December dates rather than a cancellation.
Wider Disruption Across Saudi Sport
Tennis is not the only discipline affected. Three Saudi Pro League fixtures were postponed on Tuesday, including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, whose away trip to Al-Ahli in Jeddah has been pushed back to March. Matches between Al-Riyadh and Al-Hilal, and Al-Ittihad against Al-Shabab, have also been moved into December, with the league citing "logistical considerations."
Ronaldo himself was on the pitch on Monday, scoring for Al-Nassr in an AFC Champions League tie that was delayed by an hour following a missile alert - a stark illustration of how closely sport and regional security concerns are now intertwined in Saudi Arabia.
Knock-On Effects Beyond Riyadh
Saudi Arabia's energy minister has vowed a "serious" response after the kingdom's oil and gas infrastructure was also targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis, raising the prospect of further instability in the region. That uncertainty is already rippling into other sporting calendars.
The Asian Tour says it is "closely monitoring the situation" ahead of the PIF Saudi International, scheduled for the Riyadh Golf Club from 18-21 November, and is in talks with Golf Saudi over how to proceed. Formula 1's races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi could also come under scrutiny should the conflict escalate further, underlining how a single flashpoint in Riyadh is now being felt across multiple global sports calendars.
