"I don't play for money" - Jannik Sinner says $6 million payday from Six Kings Slam was not sole reason he played in controversial Saudi Arabia event

Jannik Sinner earned a $6 million payday owing to his impressive win at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event. However, the Italian said he did not play the event to win the money but to measure his quality against Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, and others.

The Six Kings Slam exhibition event took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event created controversy for several reasons. There were questions over the venue with Saudi Arabia coming under fire for its alleged human rights violations and anti-LGBTQ sentiments.

Casper Ruud opened up about his views on playing in the Middle East saying he has denied several earlier offers to play in Saudi Arabia because of the "controversial country." English commentator Mark Petchey questioned the timing of the event.

The event provided massive prize money to participants. Each of the six participants earned a guaranteed $1.5 million with the winner earning $6 million. Sinner defeated Alcaraz to win the exhibition and earned a huge payday. In a recent interview with Eurosport, the World No. 1 was asked:

"What is it like to go back home and put your luggage down and say, 'Okay guys, I made $6 million, we can go on vacation if you want?'"

Sinner, however, emphasized personal growth and competition over financial rewards.

"No, I don't play for money, it's very simple. Of course, it's a nice prize and everything but for me, I went there because there were possibly the six best players in the world, and then you can measure yourself with them. It was also a nice event for me, it was the first time I went to Riyadh and it was nice," Jannik Sinner said.

"Of course, when you come back as a winner, for me, it was more that, 'Okay, I played the matches in the right way and this hopefully can improve me as a player also for the future,'" he added.

Sinner revealed what is more important to him than money.

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For Jannik Sinner, health and family outweigh financial gains: "Money is just an extra"

Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Six Kings Slam Tournament final (Image: Getty)

Further in the interview, Jannik Sinner said:

"Of course, the money is important but not that much. I live a good life also without this money. So, I think it's much more important the health I have and surrounding myself with great people and the family and then the money, it's just an extra."

Following his Six Kings Slam triumph, Sinner returns to Europe to play in the final Masters 1000 event of the year, the Paris Masters. He will receive a bye in the first round as the top seed.