The last day of the ‘Six Kings Slam’, the tournament-exhibition that is being played in Saudi Arabia with a truly incredible prize money, offers two very interesting matches. In the final for the third and fourth place, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will probably face each other for the last time before the Spaniard retires.
Rafa will be saluting professional tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November, ending a career that has made him an immortal legend of the sport. Novak – who will be in Malaga to pay tribute to his greatest rival – leads 31-29 in H2H and will start clearly favored even today.
Carlos Alcaraz, Six Kings Slam 2024© Stream screenshot
Next up, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the two young champions who dominated the ATP tour this year. The Italian ace has been almost unbeatable this season, having suffered only six defeats since January until today. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria has won two Majors and three Masters 1000, while Carlitos became the youngest player ever to win the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships in the same year.
Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other three times this year, with Spanish winning on all three occasions. Their last match was in the final of the Beijing tournament and it was one of the most exciting matches of 2024. Despite Alcaraz hitting some very high peaks again this year, with two Grand Slam titles and a Masters 1000 (Indian Wells), Jannik’s consistency made the difference by digging a deep gap in the ATP ranking.
The last act
The last act of the Six Kings Slam will be played tonight in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). The most awaited final will be played between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, number one and two in the ATP ranking. Both players had to face top-level opponents on their way to the final.
Jannik first faced Russian ace Daniil Medvedev, with whom he had a perfect tie. After the recent victory of the blue in Shanghai, the two-time Slam champion has repeated here too, beating him without any particular problems. The challenge with Novak Djokovic was much more complicated, ending in three sets after a long battle, but once again saw Sinner prevail.
Jannik Sinner, Six Kings Slam 2024© Stream screenshot
Different route for the native of Murcia, who on his way found Holger Rune, but especially his idol Rafael Nadal, at the end of a glorious career. Alcaraz has not lost a set and he has booked a place in the final against his most accredited rival, who will put up 6 million euros.
The former tennis player now voice of Sky Sports Italy, Paolo Bertolucci has intervened on the subject, giving an interesting point of view: “If he wins, many will say that it does not matter or worse that the only way he has to beat the Spanish is a performance. If he loses, instead, they will say that Alcaraz is 4-0 in 2024 and therefore the strongest is him”, wrote the commentator polemically on X. A defeat that would not change in any way how extraordinary the Italian champion is doing this season: “Everyone can say what they want but in any case will remain the 4000 points of gap,” he concluded in a provocative manner.
An incredible prize money
Jannik and Carlitos have already won a lot despite being still young and their level seems to be superior to that of all their opponents. The Italian has a regularity out of the ordinary and has reached at least the quarterfinals in all tournaments played this year, while the Spanish manages to touch monster peaks and has an amazing variety of shots.
Sinner and Alcaraz© The Tennis Letter X account
These two players are set to take tennis to a new dimension, hoping that some other young talent will join them in the near future. During a press conference in Saudi Arabia, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal praised the two best players in the world: “I think tennis is in good hands. Jannik and Carlos have an amazing present but they are going to have a great future in front.
Hopefully they can stay away from injury. That is going to create a great rivalry between them and for the moment it seems like these guys are over the others and capacity and being focused all the time. Let’s see how the other players evolve over the next couple of years because it’s difficult to be on the top all the time and, of course, some new kids are going to come and be at a very high level and create some more rivals to them. Let’s see, I am going to enjoy tennis from a different perspective.”
