Organizers in Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition has been postponed to late December as the kingdom contends with a wave of attacks from Yemen's Houthi forces.
Turki al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA), said the tournament was delayed due to "organizational and logistical challenges." The third edition of the Six Kings Slam had originally been scheduled for October 21–24 and was to be streamed live on Netflix; it will now take place from December 27–30.
The announcement came shortly after the Saudi Pro League (SPL) postponed three matches, including one featuring Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, citing "logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches."
The Six Kings Slam is expected to feature top players including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien and Alex de Minaur.
Earlier the same day, three SPL matches involving clubs based in the capital Riyadh were postponed. The fixture between league leaders Al Hilal and Al Riyadh, along with the match between Al Ittihad and Al Shabab, was rescheduled for December 19; the game between Al Ahli and Ronaldo's Al-Nassr was reset for March 6, 2027. The SPL said the remaining matches of the ninth round would go ahead as scheduled.
The development came two days after al-Sheikh insisted that the world title boxing bout between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Christian M'billi would still go ahead this month. The fight is scheduled for October 31 in the capital Riyadh, which has been repeatedly targeted by Houthi attacks. "Canelo contacted me and told me he will still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens. He is not afraid of anything," al-Sheikh wrote on social media.
On Monday, Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League match against Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana in Riyadh was postponed by an hour after the Saudi-led coalition announced it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis toward the capital. In recent days, Saudi-backed forces in Yemen have launched a counteroffensive to retake coastal territory from the Houthis, while missile attacks targeting airports and energy facilities have occurred across the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia's sporting calendar has been heavily disrupted since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in late February. The Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, due to be held in Jeddah in April, was cancelled. The WTA Finals, also scheduled for Riyadh next month, will instead move to Indian Wells in the United States.
