At the Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia, Carlos Alcaraz will try to relish his final encounter with his ‘idol’ and fellow countryman Rafael Nadal.
With athletes such as Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Rafael Nadal, youngster Alcaraz is in Riyadh for this prestigious event that is not an ATP-sanctioned competition.
Alcaraz got an opportunity to battle against his fellow Spaniard after defeating Holger Rune 6-4, 6-2 in the second quarter-final. Nadal and Djokovic were both awarded byes to the final four.
The young athlete admitted that he had mixed feelings about taking on Nadal, who was also his doubles partner at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. His feelings are all the more intense as he will face his idol at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event, where the final winner will receive £4.6m.
With this, Alcaraz declared: “Since I started to play tennis, I’ve been watching his matches. I look up to him and I grew up watching him. He was my idol, he is still my idol.”
He added: “A really important person for my life, for my career and he was one of the reasons that I wanted to become a professional tennis player. Knowing he is going to retire is pretty tough for everyone, for me… I will try to enjoy sharing the court with him once again, but I think it is really difficult for everyone.”
Nadal recently announced his retirement from the sport.
Jannik Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals as well. He will face Novak Djokovic.
Source: Sky Sports