The highly anticipated MGM Rewards Slam exhibition in Las Vegas has been postponed after the withdrawals of key players, including ATP world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Sinner had been part of a blockbuster lineup of names for the exhibition scheduled for March 1st and 2nd. Sinner, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, and Tommy Paul were the ATP players.
Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka, two of the most significant names in women’s tennis, were the WTA players announced for the event. It promised to be an outstanding couple of days for the fans with tickets.
Unfortunately, things have unraveled. Sinner reached a case settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency almost a year after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol due to being contaminated by his physiotherapist.
In exchange for not having the case taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sinner is banned until May 4th. That means he could not have played at the exhibition event that was scheduled for the opening two days of March.
Casper Ruud was announced as Sinner’s replacement when it seemed like the event would still go ahead, but the healthy paycheck the Norwegian would have received will be on hold, for now at least.
Fritz was due to compete at the ongoing 2025 Mexican Open in Acapulco but withdrew due to an abdominal injury. That issue also prevented him from competing at the MGM Rewards Slam, so a very late replacement would have been necessary.
Things went from bad to worse for the exhibition’s organizers when Zverev, Ruud, and Paul came down with food poisoning in Acapulco. The chances of either man playing in Las Vegas after being ill and just a few days before the 2025 Indian Wells Open were unlikely.
Those involved behind the scenes in initially organizing the exhibition must feel very unlucky. The odds of all five ATP players who agreed to participate being unable to play because of a combination of suspensions, injuries, and sickness were minimal.
It is uncertain if or when the exhibition will be rescheduled. There was no mention of anything related to that in the confirmation about the MGM Rewards Slam being postponed after all the withdrawals from the event.
The exhibition previously caused controversy because of confusion about whether it clashed with the ATP Tour schedule since the Mexican Open final is set for March 1st, which was also the exhibition’s opening day.
That made some think Fritz, Zverev, and Paul, all on the initial Mexican Open entry list (so was Ruud but Sinner’s suspension was not confirmed by this point), would need to choose between the event in Acapulco or the exhibition if they reached the final.
Fritz subsequently clarified that the ATP players would only appear on March 2nd, with a women’s match between Sabalenka and Osaka scheduled for the opening day in Las Vegas.
Unfortunately for fans, none of the men’s matches will now occur on the original dates. It remains to be seen whether a suitable venue for the exhibition will be found in the schedule later this year.
