Andy Roddick expresses criticism on ‘unnatural and weird’ Six Kings Slam’s ‘humongous’ prize money
Andy Roddick criticized the Six Kings Slam exhibition for paying its champion, Jannik Sinner, humongous prize money.
Follow Us
Andy Roddick (Image via Imago)
The Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia has come under fire since its conclusion. Andy Murray and Casper Ruud have both taken a dig at the exhibition tournament. American legend Andy Roddick has also added his voice to the growing criticism, revealing that humongous prize money made the event weird.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune all took part in the Six Kings Slam event this year. The tournament organizers gave each participant $1.5 million for their participation while the champion, Sinner, pocketed $6 million, the highest prize money in the history of the sport.
Sinner’s prize money for winning just three matches in Saudi Arabia is almost half of the $12,032,935 that he has earned over the ten months of the season. The World No. 1 has won seven titles, including two Grand Slams and three Masters 1000 titles. The 23-year-old’s prize money from Riyadh is more than 25% of what Roddick bagged as prize money from 2000 to 2012.
The American legend earned $20,640,030 in prize money winning 32 career titles, including the 2003 US Open. In an episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, he pointed out that the prize money in the exhibition event was unnatural.
It’s easier to pay Sinner $6 million when you’re not responsible for 122 other players at a given event, plus doubles, plus X, Y and Z. It’s one court, it’s not a million courts, it’s no expenses and it’s a marketing budget for a government. It definitely doesn’t make me sick to my stomach that he (Sinner) made more than 25% of my career prize money in three days of exhibition tennis.
Andy Roddick said
Alcaraz finished as the runner-up at the Six Kings Slam after losing to Sinner in three sets. Djokovic finished third after a straight-sets victory over Nadal, while Medvedev and Rune were eliminated in the opening round.
Andy Roddick reveals that the Six Kings Slam lacked the charm of the Laver Cup
Andy Roddick has been a critic of the Laver Cup since its inaugural opening in 2017. He, at one time, labeled the tournament artificial. However, after watching the Six Kings Slam, the 42-year-old legend revealed that the Laver Cup was better than the exhibition tournament.
Even the Novak and Rafa [Nadal] thing, I don’t know, it felt fine, felt like an exhibition but without the charm of a Laver Cup where you’re seeing the interactions between players and the legends get brought back. For better or worse we’re gonna see more of these types of things, these exho’s outsized budgets.
Andy Roddick said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast
The Laver Cup, which is played between Team Europe and Team World, has become a prominent event with the backing of Roger Federer and the ATP. Nevertheless, it has been criticized as a means for players to get good prize money.
This year marked the seventh edition of the Laver Cup and was hosted in Berlin. Team World was hoping to win their third consecutive title at the event, but Team Europe, powered by Carlos Alcaraz, emerged victorious with a 13-11 scoreline.
Stay Updated!
Victor Okechukwu
(688 Articles Published)