How Exhibitions Became Tune‑Ups For Tennis Stars

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 06: Frances Tiafoe looks on against Carlos Alcaraz during the Charlotte Invitational at Spectrum Center on December 06, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Tennis has no offseason. What used to be a time for rehab, home and holiday, has evolved into perpetual exhibitions.

In late November, Carlos Alcaraz skipped the Davis Cup Final to recuperate from a hamstring injury. Jannik Sinner opted out of the Davis Cup Final too.

Yet, in less than a week, Alcaraz will be in Newark, N.J. to play Frances Tiafoe in an exhibition match called A Racquet at The Rock. The next day, Alcaraz will play in the Miami Invitational against Joao Fonseca, in a baseball stadium. In January, Alcaraz and Sinner will play in an exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, mere weeks before the Australian Open.

Although many top players complain that the season is too long, they keep adding unofficial matches to their schedule. The lure of guaranteed money, little pressure and a chance to spar against other top players, make offseason exhibitions ideal tune-up tournaments.

Tiafoe and Alcaraz met in the Charlotte Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina in December, 2024. Alcaraz finished 2024 ranked No. 1.

Still, some accuse Alcaraz of hypocrisy. Why criticize the length of your season if you keep extending your schedule?

During a press conference regarding the Six Kings Slam exhibition in October, Alcaraz explained his stance to BBC Sports.

“All I can say is it’s a really different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, having 15, 16 days in row, having such a high focus and demanding physically,” Alcaraz said, via BBC Sports. “That’s why, because we’re just having fun for one or two days and playing some tennis, and I think that’s great, and I think that’s why we choose sometimes the exhibitions.”

Carlos Alcaraz And Jannik Sinner Take Show On The Road

The endless exhibitions benefit players in the Top 10 or those with name recognition. Exhibition organizers need to sell tickets. The Alcaraz versus Sinner rivalry is the biggest draw in the sport. The two have played 16 times, with Alcaraz leading the head-to-head 10-6. They’ve met in eight finals in the past two years. That doesn’t include the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh.

The “Sincaraz” show is a box office hit that fans no longer have to wait to watch at Majors. On January, 10, in a 15,000-seat arena in Seoul, Sinner and Alcaraz face-off in the Hyundai Card Super Match. This will be the first time the players play each other in 2026.

This is not the first time the Hyundai Card hosted mega matchups. Maria Sharapova faced Venus Williams in 2005, Roger Federer took on Rafael Nadal in 2006 and Pete Sampras in 2007. Novak Djokovic took on Andy Roddick in 2010.

However, with the advent of social media, streaming and increased purses, these exhibitions are gaining legitimacy. Yes, a rising tide is supposed to lift all boats. However, Sincaraz is the luxury yacht, leaving swells that drown out the rest of the competition.

Their non-ATP Tour matches garner attention and big money. The invitation-only Six Kings Slam put on a production that rivaled the ATP Final. Didn’t matter that no ranking points were awarded. Sinner and Alcaraz were there. Sinner won a record $6 million, that’s more than twice what he earned at the Australian Open.

December Tis The Season For Exhibitions

In December 2023, Sabalenka and Djokovic participated in a World Tennis League in Dubai. A few weeks later, they each went on to win the Australian Open.

“It’s a move that we’re increasingly seeing from many top-ranked players in recent years, as they swap out a traditional conditioning and training bloc at a home base or academy with an on-the-road approach—allowing them to play for millions in prize money in the process,” wrote Stephanie Livaudais for Tennis.com.

The World Tennis League, a mixed-gender exhibition, launched in December 2022. Its format is similar to the defunct International Tennis Premier League, which operated from 2013 to 2016 and featured Federer, Serena Williams, Nadal, and Djokovic on teams based in India, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines.

Jack Draper leads several big names who will compete in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London in December. Other participants include Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Tomas Machac, Adrian Mannarino, Casper Ruud, Francisco Cerúndolo, and David Goffin. Nearly $2 million is up for grabs.

Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova join Tiafoe and Alcaraz in A Racquet at the Rock. The next day, Alcaraz, Pegula, Anisimova and Fonseca will play in Miami. That evening, Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios, and Tommy Paul will headline the Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Meanwhile, in India, the Tennis Premier League will feature top Indian players against Top 100 ATP players. Participants include, Luciano Darderi, Arthur Rinderknech, Corentin Moutet, Alexandre Muller, and Damir Džumhur. Former doubles No. 1 Rohan Bopanna, is also slated to make an appearance.

Iga Swiatek, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Belinda Bencic, Rublev, Wang Xinhyu, Elena Rybakina, and Zhang Zhuzhen will headline the World Tennis Continental Cup, which has a Europe versus the world format similar to the Laver Cup.

Like Alcaraz, Swiatek is catching some heat for playing exhibitions. She’s been one of the most outspoken critics of the long tennis season. Swiatek also took part in the revamped 2025 U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament, which had an exhibition vibe.

In an interview with Simon Cambers for The Guardian, Swiatek said she plans to cut down on mandatory WTA Tour tournaments in 2026.

“I would like to try missing maybe two tournaments – maybe the ones I feel I haven’t been playing well at anyway – just spending this time on grinding and getting the technique better,” she said. “I think it will help me also play a little bit better under stress, because my body will remember the proper movements and what it learned during this practice time.”

Perhaps exhibitions are the ultimate practice. Players who used to spend the off-season recuperating or training are now traveling to exhibitions all over the world. As long as the top tennis players keep cashing big checks without paying a hefty price during the real season, expect more “off-season” events.