The Riyadh Season Tennis Cup takes place this winter as some of the biggest and most recognisable tennis stars do battle in Saudi Arabia.
Part of the Riyadh Season, which happens each year in the country's capital city, the exhibition tournament will take place on December 26 and 27 this year and acts as a brief warmup event to next month's Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are currently slated to be taking part on the men's side of the draw, whilst current world number one Aryna Sabalenka will face off against Ons Jabeur in the women's event.
Here, The Sporting News provides all of the details on the event, the players competing and how to follow it all around the world.
FOLLOW LIVE: Score updates and highlights from Alcaraz vs. Djokovic
When is the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup? Alcaraz vs. Djokovic start time
This year, the Riyadh Tennis Cup will take place from December 26 to 27 and will see some of the world's most famous tennis stars battle it out.
The men's match, on December 27, features the two current best players in the world face off as Djokovic and Alcaraz renew their new found rivalry, just a month on from their ATP Finals matchup.
The day before, December 26, Sabalenka, take on popular Tunisian star, Ons Jabeur.
No official start time has been given so far but both matches will be played at the Kingdom Arena, which has a capacity for 40,000 fans.
However, the following start times listed on DAZN for their coverage starting are as follows for Alcaraz vs. Djokovic :
| Date | Start time | |
| USA | Weds. Dec 27 | 10.45 a.m. ET |
| Canada | Weds. Dec 27 | 10.45 a.m. ET |
| UK | Weds. Dec 27 | 3.45 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Thurs. Dec 28 | 2.45 a.m. AEST |
| India | Weds. Dec 27 | 9.15 p.m. IST |
MORE: Australian Open 2024 details: When it starts & who is competing
Riyadh Season Tennis Cup 2023 live stream, TV channel
The tournament will be streamed exclusively by DAZN around the world:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | — | DAZN |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | DAZN 1 | DAZN |
| Australia | — | DAZN |
| India | — | DAZN |
What is the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup?
The Riyadh Tennis Cup is a part of the Riyadh Season which happens in the Saudi Arabian capital each year.
It's a huge event that takes place over months and this season featured the heavyweight boxing tilt between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou back in late October.
As well as sporting events, the festival also offers concerts and other unique cultural events to the thousands of visitors who travel from around the world each year.
Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head record, past results
As of December 2023, the head-to-head record between these two is quite nicely balanced: Djokovic has three wins, and Alcaraz two.
Alcaraz had already made a statement of intent by beating one of Djokovic's fellow modern greats and a compatriot the Spaniard so admires, Rafael Nadal, on his way to a first meeting with the Serbian at Madrid in 2022.
Lest anyone suspected contests between Alcaraz and Djokovic would not be keenly contested, each of their three sets went beyond 10 games: Djokovic took the first-set tie-break to five, then Alcaraz won the final set by the same scoreline after picking up the second 7-5.
Their most recent meeting was surprisingly one-sided, Djokovic easing to a 6-3 6-2 win at the ATP World Tour Finals in November 2023. Alcaraz accepted afterwards that he had been comprehensively outplayed.
Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head record
| Date | Tournament | Stage | Winner | Score |
| Nov. 18, 2023 | ATP Finals | Semifinal | Djokovic | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Aug. 20, 2023 | Cincinnati Masters | Final | Djokovic | 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (6-4) |
| Jul. 16, 2023 | Wimbledon | Final | Alcaraz | 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 |
| Jun. 9, 2023 | French Open | Semifinal | Djokovic | 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 |
| Jul. 16, 2023 | Madrid Masters | Semifinal | Alcaraz | 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) |
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