Organizers in Saudi Arabia have abruptly postponed a high-profile exhibition tennis tournament featuring top global players by two months. The decision comes as the kingdom reels from a growing wave of security threats and missile attacks allegedly launched by Yemen’s Houthi movement, casting serious doubts on the safety of international events in the region.

Turki al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), supposedly stated that the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament was delayed due to unspecified "organisational and logistical challenges." The tournament, originally set for October, was slated to feature stars such as Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev before being pushed to late December. *

This postponement closely follows a series of disruptions in the Saudi Pro League, which was forced to reschedule multiple fixtures, including a high-profile match involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. The capital city of Riyadh has reportedly faced recurrent threats, disrupting daily operations and prompting emergency scheduling adjustments across various sports leagues.

The broader Saudi sports calendar has taken a severe blow amid the ongoing geopolitical fallout stemming from the US-Israeli regime's hostile campaign against Iran. Previous high-profile casualties of the instability include the cancellation of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the relocation of the WTA Finals to the United States.

Source: www.aljazeera.com