It must not be an easy time for Jannik Sinner, who is attracting criticism for some statements made on the sidelines of The Six Kings Slam, in addition of course to the aftermath of the delicate doping issue in which he is involved. The Italian tennis player, in a recent interview with Eurosport, had declared that he had not played the exhibition tournament in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for money.
“I don’t play for money, it’s very simple. Sure, $6 million is a lot of prize money, but I went to Riyadh because there were probably the six best players in the world and you can measure yourself against them. Of course money is important, but not that much. I live well even without money. What’s much more important is my health, my family and being surrounded by the right people. Money is just an extra,” he said.
It was precisely following these words that Stan Wawrinka’s attack came. Being the ATP number 1 certainly exposes you to the judgment of experts and colleagues, ready to criticize every choice and decision you make. Jannik realized this: from his failure to participate in the Olympics, to the doping case, up to his participation in The Six Kings Slam. Wawrinka made it clear that he doesn’t believe in the Italian at all. On his X account, the 39-year-old Swiss champion reposted the video of the interview with the 23-year-old Italian, commenting with an unmistakable laughter emoji that leaves no room for interpretation (then removed). An unusual gesture for the 3-time Grand Slam champion. Undoubtedly, however, the size of the prize money received by Sinner thanks to his success at the Saudi exhibition tournament has sparked a considerable debate among the protagonists of the ATP Tour.
The Six Kings Slam has been a huge success and will probably be repeated in the coming seasons. Sinner – as mentioned – has won an absolutely crazy prize pool. The other participants did not do badly either, having been guaranteed compensation of $1.5 million for participation alone. Clearly, the prize money guaranteed by the event based in Riyadh, significantly higher than all four Grand Slams, have made some media, tennis players, insiders and fans turn up their noses a bit, who have deemed it exaggerated. Sinner, who also pocketed the highest prize money in history, guaranteed that he did not choose this tournament for the money, but to measure himself against the best players in the world.
“I don’t play for the money, it’s very simple. I went to Riyadh because there were probably the six best players in the world and you can measure yourself against them. It was also a nice event, it was my first time in Riyadh and it was very nice. When you come back as a winner for me it was more like: OK, I played the matches in the right way and I hope that this can improve me as a player for the future. Of course money is important, but not that much. I live well even without money. What is much more important is my health, my family and the fact that I am surrounded by the right people. Money is just an extra,” he added, as mentioned above.
