In the golden age of the “noble art”, mediocre boxers accepted being beaten to death by acclaimed champions for a simple reason: the purse of life. A few minutes as a human pungiball often filled the seats of a sports hall, paid off debts and settled a family forever.
Tsitsipas earned 20 thousand dollars a minute
Seeing Stefanos Tsitsipas get slapped at the Six Kings Slam by Jannik Sinner on Wednesday night didn’t seem far from that world. The Greek tennis player (formerly ranked 3 in the world) was invited as a backup: Jack Draper was supposed to be there, but the Briton withdrew. Tsitsipas has been far from the top 10 for some time, he played a low-level season and, above all, the weight of his ball is light years from that of Sinner.
But he still has a name and a crisp game with an old-fashioned one-handed backhand. The organizers thought of him. The South Tyrolean even kept his engines at low revs, allowing a few boring errors, then closed the practice by torpedoing on the left diagonal in just over an hour, 6-2 6-3. Tsitsipas, for this beating, earned 20 thousand dollars a minute. Yes, you read that right. About 1.5 million for his participation. Shower, a few smiles and autographs, check and home.
The richest tournament in the world
All this is possible thanks to the richest tournament in the world in relation to the number of matches and players. Which does not give any ATP points, it is not an “official” event for the world rankings. The Six Kings Slam is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the context of the Riyadh Season, a festival dedicated to sport, music and culture. The rivers of money come from Saudi Aramco, the Saudi national hydrocarbon company, omnipresent on the billboards. The 2025 edition (which ends on October 18) features Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and, indeed, Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Prize pool of 13.5 million dollars
The total prize pool is approximately $13.5 million. Just to clarify, the winner will be able to collect up to 6 million dollars, more than the prize for the 2025 US Open. However, each player receives a minimum guaranteed compensation of at least 1.5 million for participation alone. Best of 3 sets matches and teams on the sidelines, not in the stands.
Alcaraz and Djokovic are directly through to the semi-finals thanks to their results in the Slams. Sinner and Fritz got there from the quarterfinals with easy matches. The other highly remunerated sacrificial victim was Zverev. Fritz ended the practice 6-3 6-4. Then the final for the title and the final for third place.
Holger Rune, a few days ago, asked himself if “we want a dead man on the pitch”. The ATP season is endless – there is no other sport where it is played continuously all year round – and the conditions are often unsustainable: matches in the middle of the night or after transoceanic trips, temperatures above 35 degrees. But in Riyadh everyone is competing to be there. Who knows why.
