The 2025 ATP and WTA Tours might have come to an end, but some of the biggest names on the tour are filling their December with exhibition matches.
Carlos Alcaraz played Frances Tiafoe at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, and the Spaniard is set for a first-time match with Joao Fonseca in Miami, Florida.
Aryna Sabalenka is also set to play Nick Kyrgios in a revamped version of the Battle of the Sexes in Dubai on December 28.
Kyrgios’s exhibition schedule will not end there, either, as he’s just signed up to a lucrative event along with seven other top stars.
Taylor Fritz and Nick Kyrgios sign up to the MGM Slam
The MGM Slam has become a staple part of the exhibition circuit since its inaugural 2022 edition in Las Vegas.
The likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Rafael Nadal, and Naomi Osaka have played the event in the past and this year’s event is no less star-studded.
What do players hope to gain from playing in exhibition matches? Do you think it’s only for financial gain?
Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Casper Ruud, Kyrgios, Fonseca, Gael Monfils, Lorenzo Musetti and Alexander Bublik have signed up for the event, which offers a pool of $1 million.
The event will see top players duke it out in a knockout tournament consisting of a sole 10-point tiebreaker.
The MGM Slam also featured Alcaraz vs Nadal in 2024, which was broadcast live on streaming giant Netflix.
How will this event impact the 2026 ATP Tour?
The MGM Slam will take place directly between two ATP 500 events and the start of the first Masters tournament of the year at Indian Wells.
Acapulco and Dubai are set to kick off on February 23, meaning the final will take place on the same day as the MGM Slam.
This means the likes of Fritz, Paul, Ruud, and Fonseca will likely skip the two ATP 500 tournaments in favour of the exhibition.
The players will, however, already be in America for the beginning of Indian Wells and the Miami Open, which kick off on 4 March and 16 March.
