Jannik Sinner's win in the second edition of the 'Six Kings Slam' was very clear, confirming the superiority of the Italian ace in indoor conditions and labeling him as the big favorite in the tournaments scheduled between now and the end of the season.
The world number 2 had triumphed in Saudi Arabia last year as well, but his performances in the 2025 edition were even more brilliant and not even his huge rival Carlos Alcaraz was able to counter him in the final, suffering a fairly clear loss last Saturday.
The 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria who had a truly exceptional season despite the three-month ban he was given by WADA between February and May earned impressive prize money and was also handed a 4kg golden racket worth over 400,000.
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Panatta on Sinner's win in Saudi Arabia
The former world No.1 will be back in action in Vienna this week, aiming to win his second title in Austria after his success two years ago (he missed this tournament last year). The four-time Grand Slam champion will also participate in the Paris Masters 1000 at the new venue and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where he will be called upon to defend his title, before deciding whether or not to help Italy at the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna next month.
Interviewed during the latest episode of 'La Domenica Sportiva', Italian legend Adriano Panatta confessed that an event like the 'Six Kings Slam' has a fairly relative value and should not be considered as an official tournament: "I don't want to minimize Jannik's triumph in Saudi Arabia, but these performances don't have such great relevance. I have never seen Sinner smile so many times during a match, which shows how relaxed the atmosphere was unlike what happens in official tournaments."
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Adriano also added: "We are all looking forward to the next official matches between Sinner and Alcaraz, especially at the ATP Finals in Turin."
Jannik admitted that it will be very hard for him to return to world No.1 by the end of this year.
