Jannik Sinner has had an eventful 2024. The Italian has won seven ATP titles, including two Grand Slams, this year. Sinner has made over $12 million from his success on the tour, but his victory at the Six Kings Slam has become a talking point. His win over Carlos Alcaraz in the final at Riyadh earned him the single largest payout in the sport’s history at $6 million. To put that into context it is twice the amount awarded to the winners of the Australian and French Open and almost $2 million more than what the winners get for winning the Wimbledon and the US Open. However, American tennis legend Andy Roddick wasn’t impressed and he has a personal reason as well.

With this 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-3, Sinner also snapped a three-match losing streak against Alcaraz, who beat him in the China Open final and the French Open semi-finals earlier this year. The four-day exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia featured big names such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal with each participant earning a guaranteed $1.5 million.

Yet, despite the hefty money and talent on display, Andy Roddick failed to see its appeal. On Tuesday, October 22, the former tennis star critiqued the Six Kings Slam exhibition on his, ‘Served with Andy Roddick,’ podcast calling it a “marketing budget” for a government. He pointed out that it was not one of those tournaments where the organizers had the pressure of managing and paying over a hundred players and hence it was easy to pay a single player a sum of $6 million.

And while the tournament’s promotional trailer looked fun, showcasing each player as a unique character—like Alcaraz as the “Sand Man” and Sinner as the “Renaissance Artist”—it lacked the essence of camaraderie according to the American. Roddick remarked, “In all seriousness, I never begrudge anyone their choices. Listen, someone’s going to pay you that amount of money and you have to go do awkward dancing. The whole thing looked completely unnatural. It just looked weird.”

The tournament featured six of the biggest names in men’s tennis with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune all competing over three days. Sinner and Alcaraz saw off Medvedev and Rune in the opening matches respectively.

Sinner beat Djokovic in a closely fought three-set encounter while Alcaraz handed his idol Rafael Nadal a defeat in an emotional match. The exhibition event then saw Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic facing off for one last time, but despite the significance of the occasion, Roddick felt it didn’t feel like a big deal.

“I had no interest in it. Even the Novak and Rafa thing, I don’t know, it felt fine, felt like an exhibition but without the charm of a Laver Cup where you’re seeing the interactions between players and the legends get brought back,” he added.

Sinner’s $6 million for his win in Riyadh, dwarfs what he made from two Grand Slam wins this year. He earned $2.1 million from winning the Australian Open and made $3.6 million for his US Open success.

Prize money comparison: Six Kings and ATP Grand Slams:

In his assessment of Sinner’s massive payday, Roddick humorously noted, “It definitely doesn’t make me sick to my stomach that he made more than 25% of my career prize money in three days of exhibition tennis.”  Roddick earned $20,640,030 in prize money during his 12-year professional career spanning from 2000 to 2012. It’s a reminder of how the game has evolved, with players now raking in jaw-dropping sums in exhibition events.

The exhibition matches don’t count on the ATP Tour, but it was still an important win for Sinner against his Spanish nemesis. As Jannik Sinner now looks ahead to the Paris Masters and ATP Finals, he’s clearly on top of his game. Although he missed the chance to defend his title at the Vienna Open, he seemed unfazed by his decision to participate in Riyadh instead.

Sinner shares his experience at the Six Kings Slam tournament

During an interview with DAZN after the Six Kings Slam final, Sinner shared a tidbit about his role in the flashy trailer for the event, revealing it was filmed during Wimbledon. He humorously remarked, “If we watch the details, I’m the only one who’s sweating,” highlighting the exhausting heat of the shoot. Despite the challenges, Sinner embraced his inner actor. Once the event concluded, the Italian reflected on his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz as well.

He explained how their competition pushes both players to their limits. “It’s a mix of everything. As Carlos said, we try to push ourselves to the limit,” he stated. Sinner also claimed that each morning, he focuses on strategies to outsmart Alcaraz.

Alcaraz reciprocated the respect as well, saying he was grateful to have such a talented player on tour to compete against. “I will try to do my best and hopefully this rivalry gets better and better over the years. I’m really grateful to have him around on the Tour. As I said many times, thanks to him I push myself to the limit to improve and be a better player,” the Spaniard said after losing the Six Kings Slam final to Sinner.

With both stars securing two Grand Slam titles each this season, their rivalry is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling in recent tennis history. But how do you feel about Roddick’s comments on the Six Kings event and the prize money handed out? Let us know in the comments below.