Carlos Alcaraz makes bold statement about Six Kings Slam, in contrast to Jannik Sinner: "If I say I went there for fun, I'm gonna lie"

Carlos Alcaraz offered a straightforward answer when asked about his participation at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saying he played for the money. That is in direct contrast to Jannik Sinner's statement; the Italian said money was not the motivation for him to play in the Gulf.

The event featured six ATP stars—Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, Alcaraz, and Sinner. The Italian emerged as the top earner, pocketing $7.5M for his victory over Alcaraz in the final, while each of the other players received $1.5M.

In a pre-tournament press conference at the Paris Masters, where the main draw action began today, Alcaraz was asked about his motivation for competing in Riyadh, particularly given Sinner's recent comments.

The four-time Grand Slam champion responded:

"Well, I mean, if I say (smiling), I mean, I went there just for fun or to play and forget the money, I'm gonna lie. That's obviously -- I mean, every person work for that, as well. You know, that's how life is about."

"You know, I love playing tennis. You know, most of the time I don't think about the money. I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to earn money, you know, and that's it. In Arabia is the most highest prize money ever in the history, so that was a good motivation, at least for me," he added.

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Carlos Alcaraz on Paris Masters 2024 campaign: "I think I'm ready to do good results"

Carlos Alcaraz pictured at the 2024 Shanghai Masters | Image Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz is determined to improve his performance at this year's Paris Masters. After an early exit to Roman Safiullin in the 2023 opener, he has vowed that he feels different and is confident of a strong run this time around.

"The calendar is super tight, super demanding, as well," he said during a press conference. "So coming to the last tournament of the year, probably I have been tired the last year, didn't play as well as I wanted, but coming to this year, I think I'm feeling different."

Alcaraz added:

"I know what I have to do. I have been doing great work lately. So I think I'm ready to do good results or at least go farther than last year, that I think is not really difficult."

The Spaniard is set to begin his campaign in Bercy on Tuesday, October 30, facing off against Chille's Nicolas Jarry in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.