It added that preparations were continuing for the postponed dates and thanked “all players, partners and tennis fans from across the Kingdom and abroad for their continued interest”.
The publication does not mention security. It comes five days after Thursday’s October 8 attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, in which Saudi authorities said three Saudi nationals were killed, including a Saudi captain. Two planes were hit. Riyad Season is not linking the two, and neither organizer has commented beyond a written statement.
What the new dates create is a scheduling challenge that the first set didn’t have. October 21-24 was the week between Shanghai and the European closed swing. December 27-30 ends the off-season. The 2027 ATP season opens on January 1 with the United Cup in Australia, and the Australian Open starts on January 17. Completing the Riyadh event on December 30, the player will have about 48 hours to get to Australia for the start of the season without de-conditioning and pre-protection.
48 hours before the United Cup
The six players announced for the field are Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Lahrer Thien, both debutants. De Minaur is Australian and a United Cup regular. Thien, 20, was added on October 6 as a replacement for two-time defending champion Yannick Ciner, who was injured. Riyad Season did not say whether all six had confirmed availability for the December dates, and no players have commented publicly since the postponement.
The Six Kings Slam is an exhibition. It has no ATP ranking points and is not part of the tour calendar, which is exactly what allows it to be moved up six days. It is played in a knockout format at the ANB Arena in Riyadh and is broadcast on Netflix. Reported figures from previous editions have been $1.5 million per player and $6 million for the winner, larger than any Grand Slam singles prize.
Sinner won both the 2024 and 2025 editions, defeating Alcaraz in the final each time. His absence from this year’s field had already eliminated the event’s defining competition before the postponement.
For now, Riyadh Season has directed ticket holders and the public to the Ehtemam Center for inquiries and updates. No revised ticketing arrangements, game schedule or lineup confirmation has been released.
