Like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner also defends exhibition tournaments amid criticism of their existence in a hectic tennis schedule

Jannik Sinner, similar to rival and reigning world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, supported playing tennis beyond competitive events, including exhibitions, shortly after winning the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the second consecutive year. Sinner defeated Alcaraz in a repeat of last year's final in the lucrative exhibition tournament and once again pocketed the $6 million winner's payday.

On Saturday, October 18, after his comprehensive 6-2 6-4 victory against the Spaniard in Riyadh, the Italian touched on the subject of displays in a press conference. Beginning by stressing the importance of players participating in events that involve engaging with fans and children, Sinner said:

“It's very important to play tennis in different ways. For us, having weeks dedicated to fans, days dedicated to children, is very important: children are the future, they are the generation that will come one day. We want the sport to grow, and sometimes making small changes and changing the rules is important to see how far things can go.”

Continuing to talk about the need to bring tennis to a wider audience through exhibitions and other events, Jannik Sinner added:

“The product we already have is amazing, we have it all: big tournaments from all over the world, big audiences… but can we make it better? Of course. Events dedicated to fans and kids, exhibitions, are essential – that's why we're here. There are several reasons why we're here, it's no secret, but if we have the opportunity to make everything better, why not?”

before, Carlos Alcarazin his own way, he had he defended his participation in exhibition tournaments after facing criticism for repeatedly raising concerns about the hectic tennis schedule. The six-time Major champion told the PA news agency in Riyadh:

“When I see a lot of people complaining about how we're defending expos, I don't understand them because, like I said, it's not very mentally demanding (compared to) when we have long events like two weeks or two and a half weeks. It's very tough.”

Carlos Alcaraz will return to ATP Tour-level action at the final Masters 1000 event of the year; Jannik Sinner will play in the Vienna Open after the success of the Six Kings Slam

Carlos Alcaraz was the most notable absentee at this year's Shanghai Masters. The Spaniard had injured his ankle during his run to win the title in Tokyo and decided to skip Shanghai to focus on rest and recovery.

After his runner-up finish at the Six Kings Slam, the world No. 1 now has a short break before heading to Paris for the 2025 Paris Masters; the last Masters 1000 tournament of the year.

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner, who unfortunately had to withdraw mid-match in Shanghai due to severe crampsis scheduled to play in the ATP 500 Vienna Open. The world No.2 is the top seed in the main singles draw in Vienna, and has been drawn to face Daniel Altmaier in his first match.