"That Six Kings thing...it just felt weird" - Serena Williams' ex-coach voices apathy over exhibition featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, others

The recently-concluded Six Kings Slam featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and other high-profile men's tennis players did not go down well with Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs. The Australian former doubles No. 1 and Serena Williams' coach for the 2022 US Open expressed her apathy over the high-profile exhibition event that was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nadal and Djokovic headlined the inaugural edition of the Six Kings Slam, which took place in the Saudi Arabian capital from Wednesday, 16 October to Saturday, 19 October. Reigning World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, former World No. 1s Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, and 2022 Rolex Paris Masters champion Holger Rune also featured at the exhibition tournament.

Sinner ultimately won the event after getting the better of Carlos Alcaraz in the final and took home the $6 million winner's paycheck. Meanwhile, Nadal and Djokovic locked horns in the third-place match, which the Serb won.

Recently, Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs briefly touched on the tournament in an episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. The 53-year-old seemed dismissive of it, even though it saw Sinner bagging the most lucrative paycheck in sports history, and Nadal and Djokovic playing one last time before the Spaniard retires later this year.

"I do want to say that Six Kings thing, I mean, to watch Rafa (Nadal) finish that match, it was great to see him play another match against Nole (Djokovic) and all that sort of stuff, but it just felt weird," Stubbs said.

Williams' ex-coach went on to say that she simply did not care enough about the event to discuss its final between Sinner and Alcaraz.

"I just felt like that Six Kings thing, like who cares? I mean Sinner won $6 million. He beat Alcaraz in the final. He's the better player on a faster court. I mean, okay, I could get into the reasons why, but do I care? No. I don't. I really don't care," Stubbs added.

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick had also aired views similar to that of Stubbs about the Six Kings Slam.

Andy Roddick shares Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs' perspective on Six Kings Slam

Andy Roddick (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs isn't the only prominent name in tennis to have taken a dismissive view of the Six Kings Slam. Recently, the 2003 US Open champion and former World No. 1 Andy Roddick also criticized the exhibition event.

Roddick went as far as to compare it with the Roger Federer-backed Laver Cup.

"The whole thing looked completely unnatural. It just looked weird. 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," Roddick said on the Served With Andy Roddick podcast.

Nadal himself later defended the event, amid allegations that it was a part of Saudi Arabia engaging in 'sportswashing' to improve the country's image on the global stage in a bid to suppress questions about its human rights and women's rights records.

The Spaniard, while admitting that an element of 'sportswashing' could not be ruled out, ultimately opined that such events are opening the country up to foreign cultures and tourists.