The final of The Six Kings Slam, exhibition tournament currently underway in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, will be between Jannik Sinner against Carlos Alcaraz: in the second semifinal, Carlitos beat the legendary countryman Rafael Nadal with the score of 6-3 6-3 and he reached the Italian tennis player, who defeated Novak Djokovic in three sets in the first semifinal.
There will therefore be a final between the two players who dominated 2024. Alcaraz always kept the match under control and was definitely too physically superior for the current Nadal.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz© Six Kings Slam/Instagram – Fair Use
However, Rafa received a huge ovation from the crowd at the Kingdom Arena. The Spanish champion, in addition to the incredible successes achieved on the court, has managed to enter the heart of every tennis fan thanks to his fighting spirit and his immense sportsmanship. A legendary career that will end next November at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, as announced by Nadal himself a few days ago. Tomorrow night, the 22-time Slam champion will have the chance to challenge Djokovic one last time, in the challenge valid for the third and fourth place of the exhibition tournament in Riyadh.
And at the press conference after the match with Alcaraz, Rafa also expressed his point of view on his own career, underlining that he feels privileged, for what he has experienced.
“It was a pleasure to play against Carlos. He was very good tonight, he has played fantastically in the last few years and he is getting better and better. I tried and I think it was still a good performance from me. I have always felt supported everywhere. They have always helped me and I thank everyone for the affection. They have given me great energy and I am happy with what they have transmitted to me during my career.
I want to thank everyone for this support, which has been there even in the most difficult moments. I feel privileged for everything I have experienced, I have tried to be kind to everyone and I feel happy and satisfied to have done all this. I will do my best in the Davis Cup, the last tournament of my career. I will give my best, it will be a privilege to represent Spain again,” he said.