Stefanos Tsitsipas Wins ‘This’ Eye-Watering Prize Money Despite Losing to Jannik Sinner at Six Kings Slam
Jannik Sinner knocked out Stefanos Tsitsipas to schedule a semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic at the Six Kings Slam.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/AllAboutHQ, Jannik Sinner HQ)
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Stefanos Tsitsipas got the chance to make his debut at the Six Kings Slam because Jack Draper is nursing an injury. Tsitsipas, who is not at all enjoying good form, locked horns with Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Riyadh exhibition, only to succumb to a straight-set defeat.
But in spite of the defeat, he pocketed a huge prize money of $1.5 million. Six Kings Slam offers a participation prize money of $1.5 million to all six participants.
Apart from the Greek ace, Alexander Zverev also took home the same amount despite losing to Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the previous quarterfinal. The Six Kings Slam, in fact, gives the highest prize money ($6 million) in the history of tennis (even though it’s only an unofficial tournament). After it comes the US Open, as it handed a cheque of $5 million to both the men’s and women’s singles winners: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively.
Last year, Sinner bagged the $6 million by beating Alcaraz in the final. Sinner will only face Alcaraz if he beats Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and the Spaniard knocks out Fritz. Alcaraz and Djokovic have received first-round byes.
Zverev, Tsitsipas, and Fritz have made their debut in the event this year. On the ATP Tour, Tsitsipas has a 22-18 win-loss record and has clinched just the Dubai Open so far. He also dropped out of the top 20 because of his poor performances and currently stands in the 24th spot on the rankings table.
The last time the 27-year-old played a tour-level match was in the second round of the US Open, where Daniel Altmaier knocked him out in five sets. Tsitsipas hasn’t yet reached a quarterfinal since his defeat to Arthur Fils in the last eight of the Barcelona Open.
Simone Vagnozzi on who can challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have featured in 31 combined finals, winning 23 trophies, including four Grand Slam titles each. At present, even 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is struggling to challenge their dominance. Sinner’s coach, Simone Vagnozzi, however, thinks there are quite a few players who are capable of playing at Sinner’s and Alcaraz’s level.
There are many who have potential, even [Learner] Tien. Obviously, there’s [Joao] Fonseca, although I really like [Jakub] Mensik. If he doesn’t have any physical problems, he’s someone who can improve a lot.
Simone Vagnozzi told Corriere dello Sport
While last year Sinner took home eight titles from nine finals, Alcaraz has achieved the most this season, winning eight trophies from 10 finals. The defeats he suffered were at the hands of Rune at the Barcelona Open and Sinner at Wimbledon.
Then there are intangible factors. Think about Jannik: now everyone makes his victories seem normal. When I started working with him, many people in the tennis world said Rune was much more advanced. You never know how much you can improve. The guys are there, but then they have to make significant steps to catch up to Jannik and Carlos Alcaraz.
Simone Vagnozzi added
After the Six Kings Slam, while the six-time Grand Slam champion will be playing the Paris Masters, Sinner will fly to Vienna for an ATP 500 event, which he won in 2023 by beating Daniil Medvedev. Sinner too has confirmed that he will be featuring at the Paris Masters for the fourth time in his career. Following the Paris Masters, the tennis world will turn its attention toward the ATP Finals, where the four-time Grand Slam champion will play as the defending champion (beat Taylor Fritz last year).
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