CARLOS ALCARAZ HITS BACK AT CRITICS OVER SIX KINGS SLAM
Carlos Alcaraz defends players competing in exhibitions like the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, stating they are less demanding than the gruelling official tour schedule.
Carlos Alcaraz has maintained that when it comes to criticism of exhibition tournaments, players are misinterpreted.
In addition to Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alcaraz is the top seed at this week's prestigious Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia.
The world No. 1 said he would think about skipping required events to put his health first. Alcaraz was one among those criticising the rigorous tour schedule in Asia, where several players experienced physical difficulties.
Thus, the Spaniard can see why the Six Kings Slam is causing some concern, but he thinks the naysayers are misguided.
"I think it is a discussion that a lot of players and a lot of people are talking about with the calendar, how tight it is with a lot of tournaments and the tournaments of two weeks, and then making some, I am going to say, excuses with exhibitions, how players are complaining about the calendar and then playing some exhibitions," Alcaraz told the PA news agency.
"All I can say is that playing exhibitions is a completely different structure and scenario than the actual tournaments, with 15–16 days in a row, a high level of intensity, and physical demands.
That is why we occasionally select the exhibitions, in my opinion, since we are merely enjoying ourselves for a day or two while playing tennis.
Of course, I am aware of the criticism, but occasionally, people fail to comprehend us or our viewpoints.
I do not understand why so many people are moaning about how we are defending the exhibitions when, as I mentioned, it is not as psychologically taxing as it would be during our two-week or two-and-a-half-week events. It is very difficult.
Despite suffering an ankle injury in his opening match that forced him to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz won his eighth title of an incredible season in Tokyo last month.
Despite acknowledging that the injury is not completely healed, the 22-year-old decided to travel to Saudi Arabia, stating, "Everything's OK." I have been doing my best to recover from the ankle.
"I think it improved a lot, and I am going to compete and perform well here in the Six Kings Slam," the player said. "I would not say without a doubt, but I do have some doubts while I am moving on court."
At the event, which is a part of Riyadh Season and will be televised on Netflix, Alcaraz has advanced to the semi-finals, where he will play either Fritz or Zverev on Thursday.
He wants to surpass last year's inaugural Six Kings Slam, in which Sinner emerged victorious in their last match and took home the largest reward in tennis, $6 million (about £4.5 million).
Alcaraz, however, is back in familiar sporting ground after competing in the Open de España Pro-Am last week with Ryder Cup stalwarts Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm.
Alcaraz is an avid golfer, and during his days off at the US Open, the Spaniard hits the fairways.
"It was an amazing experience," he remarked. "I spent a day playing with Jon and Lowry, along with other professionals, in Madrid. It was wonderful to play golf with them because I want to maximise my time when I am taking some days off.
I am taking a lot of notes from them and realising that I still have a lot of golfing to do. I was impressed when I watched them hit the ball and play at such a high level. Sometimes, feeling like an amateur is fantastic.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
