Six Kings Slam with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic postponed after deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis event, featuring Grand Slam champions Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, has been postponed following a series of deadly attacks on the host city of Riyadh.

Alcaraz, Djokovic and Zverev were scheduled to travel to the Saudi capital for a three-day event starting October 21.

Australian Alex de Minaur, as well as Americans Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien, were also invited to play.

The event had been in serious doubt since Yemen’s Houthi movement launched attacks on Saudi Arabia over the weekend, including a missile strike on Riyadh airport on Saturday that killed 13 people and injured more than 300.

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has promised a “serious” response after the kingdom’s oil and gas facilities were also targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Three Saudi Pro League matches, including one with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, were postponed on Tuesday.

Other future sporting events could be affected by the regional conflict, including the Formula 1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

“This decision reflects Riyadh Season’s commitment to delivering sporting events to the highest standards, following an assessment of the organizational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament and their potential impact on the quality of the audience experience,” Six Kings Slam organizers told BBC Sport.