"What a joke!"; "It's embarrassing" - Fans shocked by Stefanos Tsitsipas replacing Jack Draper in Six Kings Slam despite being World No. 27

Stefanos Tsitsipas completed the Six Kings Slam line-up for the 2025 edition, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz. He was called in to replace Jack Draper, who recently shut down his season due to an injury. The financially lucrative exhibition tournament will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 15-18.

Tsitsipas is an accomplished player, spending years in the top 10 and winning notable titles such as the ATP Finals and the Monte-Carlo Masters. He also finished as the runner-up at the French Open 2021 and the Australian Open 2023. However, his form has taken a hit this year, especially in recent weeks, with frequent early exits.

The rest of the Six Kings Slam field comprises everyone in the top five. Alcaraz and Sinner split the four Majors between them this year, while the others were a regular fixture in the business end of big tournaments. So when Tsitsipas, currently ranked No. 27, was announced as a replacement for Draper, a top 10 player, fans were left scratching their heads.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit were far from impressed with the organizers' choice to go with Tsitsipas, especially with his recent string of poor results. They were quick to express their displeasure about the Greek's addition.

"What a joke. He is like the 30th best player," wrote one fan. "whatever this thing is, it’s embarrassing," opined another. "Guess they wanted to save some money this year," chimed in another fan. "Every King needs a Court Jester," commented one fan. "Prince, that was promised, but never delivered," added another. "Did no-one else want to do it? What a bizarre choice," questioned another fan. "He's going to be the piñata of the group," wrote one fan.

This will be the second edition of the Six Kings Slam. The prize money remains the same as last year, with a total purse of $13.5 million. The winner will take home a whopping $6 million. Sinner won the inaugural edition by beating Alcaraz in the final last year.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas will almost match his yearly prize money with his Six Kings Slam appearance

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

The Six Kings Slam is one of the most financially rewarding exhibition events at the moment. Players are guaranteed a check worth $1.5 million regardless of the outcome. Winning the tournament would net the champion another $4.5 million, thus bringing the total to $6 million.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has earned $2 million in prize money this year after playing 40 matches since the start of the season. He will get at least $1.5 million for playing one match at the Six Kings Slam, nearly matching his yearly earnings in one go.

Should Tsitsipas go on to win the tournament, then his prize money for the season will be least $8 million, making it his career-best season in terms of finances. It would surpass his previous best benchmark of $7.4 million set in 2019.

Edited by Rohit