Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev's 2026 Six Kings Slam participation in doubt as airports and passengers viewed as ‘potential targets’

There are serious doubts about whether the trio of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev will compete at the 2026 Six Kings Slam.

The competition is scheduled to take place between October 21 and 24 at the Anb Arena in Riyadh; however, following a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi Arabian capital on Saturday, everyone is waiting for confirmation about whether the tournament will go ahead.

All flights were diverted from the international airport after an attack led to the deaths of at least 12 people, and more than 300 were injured when militants struck the location.

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Doubts around the 2026 Six Kings Slam

Saturday’s attack by the Houthis is the latest attack, as the militant group has stepped up its attacks on Saudi Arabian soil.

It was the latest tragic loss of life due to the civil war in Yemen. The conflict is between the country's government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis, who are backed by Iran. It has been going on for the past decade and has left many thousands of people dead and plunged Yemen into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

As the situation remains tense, just over a week out from the Six Kings Slam, it has thrown the Six Kings Slam event into doubt, particularly following the latest warning from the Houthis.

The militant group has warned airlines and passengers not to use Saudi Arabian airports, as ‘they are potential targets and sites for operations by our forces’.

Such a warning has left everyone looking towards the organisers of the Six Kings Slam for an official announcement about the future of this year's tournament.

The competition is set to begin on Wednesday, October 21, with two quarter-finals, when Zverev is scheduled to face Taylor Fritz while Learner Tien will square off with Alex de Minaur.

Alcaraz and Djokovic received byes into the semi-finals, with the former facing the winner of the Zverev-Fritz encounter while the 24-time Grand Slam champion will take on either Tien or De Minaur.

This is the third iteration of the competition, with the previous two being claimed by Jannik Sinner, and a new champion will be crowned.

The Italian has withdrawn due to injury, to be replaced by Tien for this year’s tournament, meaning he is set to relinquish his title as Six Kings Slam champion.

However, he could still retain this title if the event does not go ahead due to the intensifying conflict in recent weeks on Saudi soil by the Houthis.

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Earnings from the 2026 Six Kings Slam

While the tournament is expected to occur, despite the ongoing conflict in which the Saudi’s are involved, everyone is waiting for confirmation about this year’s competition.

Should it go ahead, the six tennis stars are set for an appearance fee of $1.5 million, having qualified as some of the biggest stars in men’s tennis.

Whoever claims the title from the reigning champion Jannik Sinner will be set for a payday of $6 million, meaning that the Italian has claimed $12 million from winning the 2024 and 2025 tournaments.

So, lifting the trophy earns the winner an extra $45 million over those who have been invited to the quarter-finals.