Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal-led Saudi exhibition event offers winner $6 million, all players to receive $1.5 million appearance fee: Reports

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will headline the '6 Kings Slams' exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The players are reportedly guaranteed to receive £1.2 million ($1.5 million) for their participation in the event. A prize money of £4.8 million ($6 million) will also be up for grabs for the competition's winner, as per the Telegraph.

The exhibition event is a continuation of Saudi Arabia's foray into tennis, with the nation recently signing Rafael Nadal as the ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation. Nadal has since announced his plan to establish a new Rafa Nadal Academy in the country. Saudi Arabia will also be hosting the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah until 2027.

Other players at the 6 Kings Slam event are 2023 Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, and World No. 7 Holger Rune.

The dates for the exhibition event have not yet been announced, but the event will reportedly take place in October this year.

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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal to compete at Indian Wells 2024

Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open

The two active players of the 'Big 3', Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, are likely to share the court at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters, which is scheduled from 4-17 March.

Nadal withdrew from the Australian Open following an injury at the Brisbane International. The Spaniard will make his comeback on tour with the Qatar Open in February before taking the courts in California.

Nadal has lifted the Indian Wells trophy thrice - in 2007, 2009, and 2013. The 22-time Slam champion reflected on his 2013 win at the event in March 2022.

“It’s probably one of the most emotional victories of my career,” said Nadal, as per the Indian Wells website. “The support since I came back has been huge. It’s an unforgettable week for me and an unforgettable tournament.”

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, will compete at the Indian Wells on the back of a semi-final run at the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual winner Jannik Sinner. The Indian Wells organizers welcomed the 24-time Slam champion to the event after a gap of four years with a post on social media.

"A welcome return to #TennisParadise. @DjokerNole will compete in Indian Wells for the first time since 2019!" wrote the organizers on X (formerly Twitter).

The World No. 1 has won the Indian Wells title in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, sharing the record for most trophies with Roger Federer.