Upcoming End of Season Events: Small Fields, Big Money

After the Shanghai Masters crowns a champion this Sunday, there is only one more large field, large points event on the men’s 2025 ATP Tour calendar. The Rolex Paris Masters closes out the Masters 1000 season in early November.

That does not mean there is no lucrative, and sometimes quirky, tennis to be played. The Six Kings Slam, the Nitto ATP Tour Championship, and the imaginative Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS)  Grand Final are scheduled in October, November, and December, respectively. Each limited field event has a strong player entry list developing. With the significant, sometimes overwhelming prize money available, these are not traditional exhibitions.

Upcoming End of Season Events

The Six Kings Slam

In only its second iteration, the Six Kings Slam is drawing the attention of top players and many fans. The event, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 15-18, features overwhelming prize money as the dominant storyline. Guaranteed a whopping $1.5 million for playing one best-of-three-sets match, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas agreed to trek to Riyadh.

Despite not being ranked 1-2 in the world, Alcaraz and Djokovic are granted byes into the semi-finals. The other four players are scheduled to play quarter-final matches. Alcaraz will play the winner of Fritz vs Zverev. Djokovic faces the survivor of the Sinner vs Tsitsipas.

Regardless of round, all who do not win the championship will leave with the guaranteed $1.5 million. Astonishingly, the champion earns an additional $4.5 million, bringing the total to $6 million for just two or three days of play. If Alcaraz or Djokovic wins their semi and final in straight sets, they will end up taking home $6 million to play four sets of tennis.

Nitto ATP Finals

The only one of the end-of-season big-money events directly tied to the ATP Tour is the Nitto ATP Finals. This event will be played in Turin, Italy, from November 9-16. With another massive payday available, five of the six players at the 6 Kings are expected to meet again in Turin. Alcaraz and Sinner have already qualified. Djokovic, Zverev, and Fritz are on track to make it to Turin. Only Tsitsipas, who replaced the injured Jack Draper in the 6 Kings field, is not expected to qualify for Turin.

Unlike the 6 Kings, players must qualify for the Tour Finals via ranking points. The top seven players from the yearly ATP Tour points race qualify for the event. The eighth player is either a Grand Slam winner or the eighth overall points winner for the season. Alternates are added and paid to ensure all scheduled matches are played.

The eight players go through round-robin play in pools of four, with the top two in each pool advancing to the semi-finals. An undefeated champ can win in excess of $5 million for winning five best-of-three matches. It is not far-fetched to think that Alcaraz or Sinner could win both events and clear a cool $11 million for winning seven or eight matches. For comparison, Alcaraz broke the one-event earnings record at the 2025 US Open when he earned $5 million.

While the Grand Slams draw eyeballs and television ratings, these events pay. It is no wonder the best players in the world are interested in the trips to Riyadh and Turin after the season is over.

UTS Grand Final

While not as rich in prize money or as elite a field, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final provides tennis junkies with an intriguing end-of-seasonnd of season event.

UTS events started in 2020. The league concept is the brainchild of famous coach Patrick Mouratoglou. It has grown in fits and starts over five years.

Still unknown to many, the UTS is a cleverly designed tennis “league” that consists of a series of tournaments throughout the year. The 2025 season culminates with the Grand Final from December 5-7 in London.

Matches are organized into timed quarters rather than sets. Bonus cards, on-court coaching, and fast-paced tiebreaks are used to keep spectators interested. The quarter and match tiebreakers, which are won when any player wins two consecutive points, provide instant drama for those who have bought into the concept.

Skeptics might expect that lesser-known players enter these events. Sure, Sinner and Alcaraz have passed thus far. However, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and Taylor Fritz are a few of the many top players who have played UTS in 2025.  The Grand Final field is not yet finalized, but eight top players will compete for over $1.1 million in prize money during the three-day affair.

Money Talks

While Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events draw the eyeballs, these end-of-season events do draw the players. The ATP Finals are an established top-tier event; the others are quasi-exhibitions. Still, the big paydays make this stretch of contests both compelling and thought-provoking.

Is the UTS a gimmick or a wave of the future? Is the Six Kings a legitimate competition or an example of Saudi sportswashing? The unknowns and the money bring attention. The play on the courts will let true fans know what these events really mean. It’s almost time to play.