Saudi Sports Hit As Six Kings Slam And Pro League Matches Postponed Amid Escalation

Six Kings Slam tennis tournament moved from October to December

The Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia featuring Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz has been postponed to December after deadly Houthi attacks on the kingdom forced widespread disruption to the country's sporting programme.

Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia has been postponed until December following deadly attacks on the kingdom...

The Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority announced on Wednesday that the event was being rescheduled after attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthis.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were among the players set to compete next week, joined by Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien and Alex de Minaur.

Originally scheduled for October 21-24 and set to be streamed live by Netflix, the tournament will now be held from December 27-30.

Turki Alalshikh wrote on X, sharing a statement from the Riyadh Season entertainment program: "The Six Kings Slam tournament has been postponed due to logistical reasons and will now take place on December 27."

Earlier this week, three Saudi Pro League fixtures were also postponed, including a match involving Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.

A violent escalation between a Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Houthis has unfolded in recent days, with missile attacks targeting airports and energy infrastructure across the kingdom.

The latest surge in fighting was sparked by Houthi strikes on Riyadh's international airport over the weekend, which killed 13 people and forced operations to be suspended in the deadliest attack since 2015.

تأجيل بطولة Six Kings Slam لأسباب لوجستية، على أن تقام في موعدها الجديد يوم 27 ديسمبر 🎾 The Six Kings Slam tournament has been postponed due to logistical reasons and will now take place on December 27 🙏🏼🎾 https://t.co/WY4fQVIaNQ

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) October 14, 2026

Wider disruption to Saudi sport

Saudi Arabia's sporting calendar has been severely disrupted since the outbreak of war between the United States and Israel and Iran in late February.

The Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, scheduled for April in Jeddah, has been cancelled.

The WTA Finals, which were due to be staged in Riyadh next month, will now be held in Indian Wells in the United States instead.

Al Nassr's Asian Champions League fixture against Neftchi Fergana was delayed by an hour two days ago after the Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a Houthi missile fired toward Riyadh.

Ronaldo went on to score the 981st goal of his career in a 3-1 victory.