Carlos Alcaraz, currently the second-highest ranked player in the world, confessed that the unprecedented financial rewards of the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia played a significant role in his decision to compete. During Monday's press briefing, he discussed the Riyadh exhibition, highlighting that he earned $1.5 million over a brief four-day span.
Alcaraz made it clear that while his drive usually comes from a love of tennis rather than a paycheck, he couldn't ignore the scale of the prize money. He explained to reporters that he generally plays for the joy of the sport, but acknowledged the importance of being practical. Since the Saudi tournament offered the highest payouts ever seen in the game, it served as a powerful incentive for him.
Conversely, Italy's Jannik Sinner, who also ranks in the top ten, claimed that money wasn't his main driver for heading to Saudi Arabia; he was simply looking forward to testing himself against world-class competition.
Following his double victory at the French Open and Wimbledon this season, Alcaraz is now preparing for his Paris Masters debut against Nicolas Jarry. He confessed that his track record in Paris hasn't been great, attributing this to late-season exhaustion and a previous lack of awareness regarding the grueling schedule that extends well beyond September.
The top seeds are scheduled to begin their campaigns at the Paris Masters this Tuesday. In the opening action on Monday, Stefanos Tsitsipas (seeded 10th) staged a comeback to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Meanwhile, home-favorite Adrian Mannarino pulled off an upset by knocking out the 11th seed, Tommy Paul, with a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Concluding on November 3, the Paris Masters serves as one of the final high-stakes events of the year, giving players one last push before a brief hiatus and the start of next year's demanding tour.
In a surprising turn of events, the world's top-ranked player, Jannik Sinner, has pulled out of the Paris Masters. The Italian star revealed he had contracted a virus and felt too ill during his practice sessions to compete, leading to a medical consultation. Sinner is now focusing his energy on recovering for the upcoming tournament in Turin.
Sinner, who has enjoyed a dominant 2024 with seven titles, will miss his fourth appearance in the French capital. Having recently climbed to the top of the ATP rankings at a historic pace, he becomes the second major star to withdraw from this final Masters 1000 of the year, following in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic.
Taking to Instagram, Sinner expressed his disappointment, writing: 'It’s a very tough announcement. I’m not going to play here in Paris. We arrived early to prepare as best as we could, but I felt unwell after the first practice. I saw the doctor on Sunday and it turns out it's a virus. While I'm starting to feel slightly better after a few days, I'm still far too weak to actually compete.'
He further explained that it simply wouldn't make sense to step onto the court in his current condition. He noted that he was really looking forward to using this tournament as a benchmark for his current form, making the forced withdrawal even more frustrating.