Zverev earns $25,000 per minute in Six Kings Slam defeat
Alexander Zverev earned $25,000 per minute for his 59-minute cameo in the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia.
The German is one of six tennis stars competing as part of Riyadh Season’s premier tennis competition with each of the participants receiving a reported appearance fee of $1.5m, rising to $6m for the eventual victor.
American No1 Taylor Fritz dispatched Zverev 6-4 6-4 in 59 minutes, meaning his $1.5m appearance fee averaged out at $25,424 per minute on the court.
Not a bad return for an hour’s work.
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas had to work a little bit harder for his loss, falling to Jannik Sinner 6-2 6-3 in a slightly more respectable 76 minutes.
It means he averaged $19,737 during his time in Saudi Arabia.
Attention will now turn to the semi-finals, where Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic enter the tournament having been given byes in the first round.
Fritz will face Alcaraz with the Serbian facing Sinner. The winners of each semi-final will play each other on Saturday.
Six Kings Slam cash
Great Britain’s Jack Draper was due to take part in the second edition of Six Kings Slam, but was forced to retire with a season-ending arm injury.
Six Kings Slam is the brainchild of Turki Alalshikh, the man behind Riyadh Season and Saudi Arabia’s push into the world of sport and cultural exhibitions.
This year’s Riyadh Season, which runs through into 2026, will see darts incorporated for the first time, while there’s a slate of boxing and other sporting events scheduled.
Tom Brady is coming out of retirement to participate in a Riyadh Season-sponsored flag football tournament ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where the NFL spin-off forms part of the schedule.
The Six Kings Slam tournament is being broadcast on Netflix, despite a close relationship between Saudi Arabia and sport streaming giant Dazn.