Zverev Earned Staggering Amount Per Second in 58-Minute Six Kings Slam Defeat
Alexander Zverev earned a staggering amount for every second of his 58 minute defeat at the Six Kings Slam.
The tennis exhibition tournament has returned for a second year in Saudi Arabia, as part of the ongoing Riyadh Season - attracting some of the biggest names in men's tennis.
This year's event features five of the top 10 players in the world, with all matches streamed to millions of Netflix subscribers.
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic were seeded, meaning they received a bye straight through to the semi-finals.
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However, world number two Jannik Sinner had to earn his place in the last four, overcoming Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-3 in their quarter-final on Wednesday.
In the other quarter-final, Taylor Fritz eased past Zverev, requiring just 58 minutes to knock out the world number three.
Zverev is unlikely to be too disappointed with the result, given the enormous sum he pocketed for his brief appearance.
According to Tennis Tonic, Zverev was guaranteed $1,500,000 (£1,112,000) for just participating, which equates to an eye-watering $431 (£320) for every second he spent on the court.
How much money is on the line?
The Six Kings Slam has offered a significant amount of prize money in addition to appearance fees to attract the biggest names.
Several players are reportedly in line to receive more than a million pounds for turning up, but there is the opportunity to earn much more through prize money.
According to BBC Sport, there is $4.5m (£3.4m) in total prize money available, with the winner potentially taking home $6m (£4.5m).
That is more than the prize money awarded for winning the world's biggest Grand Slam titles.
The US Open provides the biggest prize fund at £3.8m, followed by the Australian Open at £3.5m, Wimbledon at £3m and the French Open at £2.2m.
What is the Six Kings Slam?
It is a three-day tennis exhibition tournament held at The Venue in Saudi Arabia.
The quarter-finals took place on Wednesday, with the semi-finals scheduled for Thursday.
They will see Alcaraz take on Fritz, while Djokovic is up against Sinner, with the final is set for Saturday.
Sinner enters the competition as the reigning champion, having defeated his great rival Alcaraz in last year's final.
The pair have emerged as the dominant forces in men's tennis, winning all four Grand Slam titles this season between them.
Few would bet against this year's final being another showdown between the Italian and the Spaniard.
Topics: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Tennis
James Taylor