Andy Murray makes feelings clear about advert for $6m Saudi event with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray makes feelings clear about advert for $6m Saudi event with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray has responded to a promotional trailer for a tennis exhibition event named Six Kings Slam that has been put on by Saudi sporting chief Turki Alalshikh.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will play at the tournament during October and are among the six sporting stars that feature in a dramatic promotional video.

1 Murray's tennis career came to an end at the Olympics in Paris last month Credit: Getty

Current world number one Jannik Sinner and tennis veteran Rafael Nadal will also play at the slam, as well as Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and the highest-ranked Danish player in history Holger Rune.

The promo shows all six tennis players who will be in action at the exhibition portraying different characters as if they were conquering the world with racket in hand.

Djokovic, for example, appears towards the end of the video as a leader of wolves, while Sinner features as a Renaissance artist.

It was a fellow British tennis player that provoked the strong response from Murray, though.

Stockport’s Liam Broady is currently ranked number 93rd in the world and praised the promo for its movie-like qualities.

“Speechless as to how damn cool this promo is. Probably best I’ve ever seen in tennis. Would watch this movie. 10/10,” Broady said on X.

Murray wasn’t quite on the same page as his British counterpart when discussing the trailer.

He said: “Except it’s not a movie and you won’t watch it because it’s an exhibition tennis event that nobody cares about."

Broady then responded: "Omfg man why you so negative," before Murray replied with an emoji of a fishing hook, suggesting he was looking for a bite from his colleague.

The event, which takes place over four days from October 16-19, offers a staggering prize pool.

Reports have suggested that each player will receive $1.2m for simply appearing in the tournament, with the overall winner pocketing close to $5m.

All players will have the freedom to play at the level they wish, as the tournament will not count towards player rankings, unlike regular men’s ATP Tour matches.

Presented by Riyadh Season - the same promotion that put on Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois - the tennis face-off will be held at The Venue in Riyadh, which was built in 50 days to accommodate 8,000 people.

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Djokovic and Nadal have both received byes into the semi-finals of the tournament, leaving Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev and Rune to battle it out in the quarter finals on the first day.

21-year-old Wimbledon champion Alcaraz will face Rune in the opening game of the tournament, leaving 2024 Australian Open finalists Sinner and Medvedev to battle it out on the other side of the draw.

The conclusion to the 2024 WTA Tour season also takes place in Riyadh in November.

The agreement between the Women’s Tennis Association and the Saudi Tennis Federation means a record $15.25m will be on offer as the top eight women’s players in the world go head-to-head.

The prize money on offer is set to increase in 2025 and 2026 to support investment into the growth of women’s tennis.

With tennis the latest sport included in Alalshikh’s portfolio it is likely the Six Kings Slam is only the beginning of the sport's venture in Saudi Arabia.

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