World No 2 Jannik Sinner defended his Six Kings Slam crown in Riyadh on Saturday, defeating world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in 73 minutes. Sinner, 24, earned a reported $6 million - including $4.5 million in prize money, in addition to a $1.5 million participation fee.

The champion also received a full-size, solid gold racket valued at $250,000. Crafted from pure gold, the racket symbolises excellence and outstanding tennis achievements, qualities that Sinner, at just 24, continues to exemplify.

However, the Italian tennis player isn't the only one to grab that gilded trophy. Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, was presented with the same golden racket during his only visit to the Six Kings Slam last year, in recognition of his illustrious career.

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Turki Al Sheikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, a Saudi government department, and an adviser at the Royal Court, is also the event's organiser. He posted a video of the presentation ceremony where Sinner was handed over the precious metal piece.

Six of the world's top men's players competed at the three-day exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, which was streamed on Netflix. However, the results in Riyadh do not count towards the ATP rankings or in official head-to-head records.

"I wish I could play like this everywhere," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "This season we played many, many times, and I also lost many times to Carlos. It is a huge pleasure and honour to share the court with him."

At the conference after winning the championship, Sinner said, "I'm happy with my performance and proud it was a great week, and it's nice to see many positive things, and the people's love was truly wonderful. The passion here is huge. You arrive at the airport and see everyone waiting for you, and you see the amazing city, and you don't fully grasp it all until you come back. The facilities have improved a lot and become better.

"I look forward to returning to Riyadh again. This country will be important for us players in the future, and we've come to deliver the best product for our sport. Eager to know the future of this championship, and let's see what happens."

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