World number one Carlos Alcaraz has spoken out to defend players who choose to participate in exhibition tournaments, saying their intentions are often misunderstood by the media and fans. Alcaraz, 22, stressed that these shorter-format events do not carry the same physical and mental demands as the main ATP and WTA tour events, allowing players to compete in a less grueling setting.

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Alcaraz Addresses Criticism of Exhibition Play

The Spaniard, who has won eight titles this season, was responding to criticism surrounding the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, running from 15–18 October 2025. The six-man exhibition features top players including Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, with a total prize fund reportedly $4.5m (£3.4m) and potential earnings for the winner reaching $6m (£4.5m).

Alcaraz emphasized the differences between tour-level tournaments and exhibition events:
“A lot of players are talking about the calendar, how tight it is with a lot of tournaments, tournaments of two weeks, and then making excuses with exhibitions,” he said.
“It’s a different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, 15, 16 days in a row, having such a high focus and demanding physically. We’re just having fun for one or two days and playing some tennis, and that’s great, and why we choose the exhibitions.”

He added that the mental and physical demands of exhibition tournaments are far lower compared to the two-week ATP events:
“I understand [the criticism], but sometimes people don’t understand us, our opinions. It’s not really demanding mentally compared with when we’re having such long events like two weeks or two and a half weeks.”

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Alcaraz to Compete Despite Ankle Injury

Alcaraz enters the Six Kings Slam as the top seed despite an ankle injury sustained in Tokyo last month, which forced him to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. He assured fans that his recovery is progressing:
“Everything’s OK. I’ve been recovering the ankle as much as I can. I don’t feel 100%—the doubts are there when I’m moving on court, but it improved a lot and I’m going to compete and perform well in the Six Kings Slam.”

He has a bye to the semi-finals, where he will face Taylor Fritz on Thursday. Fritz advanced after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alexander Zverev. In the other quarter-final, world number two Jannik Sinner defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3 and will face Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

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Exhibitions as a Player-Friendly Format

Alcaraz highlighted that exhibition tournaments, such as the Six Kings Slam, offer players the chance to compete in a relaxed atmosphere, connect with fans, and earn lucrative prize money without the grueling intensity of tour events. The event is being broadcast on Netflix, showcasing how modern tennis is expanding its global reach and fan engagement beyond traditional competitions.

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Key Takeaways

• Carlos Alcaraz defends exhibition tournaments, emphasizing they are less physically and mentally demanding than tour events.
• The Six Kings Slam 2025 features top players including Djokovic, Sinner, Zverev, Fritz, and Tsitsipas.
• Prize money at the event is reportedly $4.5m (£3.4m), with potential winner earnings of $6m (£4.5m).
• Alcaraz is competing despite an ankle injury, with a bye to the semi-finals against Taylor Fritz.
• Exhibition events provide a fun, less stressful format for top players while maintaining fan engagement.