Saudi tennis ‘slam’ with Alcaraz, Djokovic postponed amid Houthi attacks

Turki al-Sheikh, presidente da Autoridade Geral de Entretenimento da Arábia Saudita (GEA), disse na quarta-feira que o torneio de tênis de exibição Six Kings Slam foi adiado devido a “desafios organizacionais e logísticos”.

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The announcement came shortly after the Saudi Pro League postponed three fixtures, including one involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, for “logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches”.

The Six Kings Slam was due to hold its third edition later this month, with tennis stars including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev due to take part alongside Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien and Alex de Minaur.

O evento, originalmente programado para 21 a 24 de outubro e transmitido ao vivo pela Netflix, agora ocorrerá de 27 a 30 de dezembro.

Earlier on Wednesday, the three L matches involving teams based in Saudi capital Riyadh were postponed.

A reunião entre os líderes da liga Al Hilal e Al Riyadh e o jogo entre Al Ittihad e Al Shabab foram adiados para 19 de dezembro, enquanto o confronto entre Al Ahli e Al‑Nassr, de Ronaldo, foi remarcado para 6 de março de 2027.

The L added, however, that the other matchweek nine fixtures “will be played according to the previously announced schedule with no changes”.

The move comes two days after al-Sheikh promised that boxing’s world title fight featuring Saul “Canelo” ‌‌Alvarez and Christian M’billi will go ahead this month.

Alvarez vs M’billi is scheduled for October 31 in the Saudi capital, which has repeatedly come under attack from Yemen’s Houthis, but al-Sheikh sought to allay the doubts over the bout on Sunday.

Na segunda-feira, o jogo da Al‑Nassr na Liga dos Campeões da AFC contra o time uzbeque Neftchi Fergana em Riyadh foi adiado por uma hora depois que a coalizão anunciou que havia interceptado um míssil disparado pelos houthis em direção à capital saudita.

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a counteroffensive in Yemen to retake coastal territory from the Houthis in recent days, with missile strikes on airports and energy facilities across the kingdom.

O programa esportivo da Arábia Saudita tem sido fortemente atingido desde o início da guerra dos Estados Unidos e de Israel contra o Irã no final de fevereiro.

The Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix slated for April in Jeddah was cancelled.

The WTA Finals were also scheduled to be held in Riyadh next month, but will instead take place at Indian Wells in the US.

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