Carlos Alcaraz will play his idol, Rafael Nadal, once more before the 38-year-old retires. The two will meet at the 2024 Six Kings Slam.
When the draw for the 2024 Six Kings Slam was made, the young Spaniard knew that if he won his quarter-final match, he would face his childhood idol once more, as Nadal was seeded into the semi-final of the tournament.
Alcaraz did that, beating Holger Rune in two sets, 6-4, 6-2, to set up the semi-final meeting with Nadal. It's the match that he wanted to play, and it will be exciting for everyone in attendance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Knowing that Nadal would be his next opponent, interviewer Andrew Castle asked the younger Spaniard plenty of questions about the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Alcaraz was very happy to answer, explaining how much Nadal meant to him.
"Knowing he’s retiring is tough for everyone. For me. It’s a privilege playing against him once again. It’s gonna be tough for me. I’ll enjoy sharing the court with him once again. It’s really difficult for everyone."
Alcaraz was also asked whether he would go all-out against Nadal, considering that the 38-year-old hasn't played for quite some time and will likely want to preserve his body for his retirement event, the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8.
Showing respect for the legendary Spaniard, Alcaraz explained that he would have to go all-out, suggesting that Nadal would likely play like he never left.
"I'm gonna go full power. I’m not surprised that he’s playing at 100% in practice. Hitting the ball super hard and feeling it really well. The player he is, the legend he is, it doesn’t matter that he stayed away from tennis three or four months.
"He’s gonna be back as strong as ever before. I’ll try to play good tennis if I want to beat him. I’m gonna go full, without fear."
Since this will be an exhibition match that won't count towards the official statistics, Nadal now knows that he will retire with a leading H2H against Alcaraz, as he won two of the three matches they played.
The more experienced Spaniard won in their first meeting at the 2021 Madrid Open and the following year at the 2022 Indian Wells Open. Alcaraz's only win against Nadal came at the 2022 Madrid Open. He also beat him at the Netflix Slam, but that, too, doesn't count towards the official statistics.
| Carlos Alcaraz | Rafael Nadal | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | H2H | 2 |
| 2 | Rank | 153 |
| 21 | Age | 38 |
| 51-10 | 2024 W/L | 12-7 |
| 206-53 | Career W/L | 1080-227 |
Unfortunately, nothing we've seen from Nadal in recent months indicates that he should be competitive in this match. Maybe, despite saying otherwise, Alcaraz will take it lightly on his idol, and the match could reach the third set.
However, with minimal playing time, especially on the hard courts, and consistent health issues, it is very difficult to imagine that Nadal could win. On top of it, he's playing against Alcaraz, arguably one of the two best players on the ATP Tour at the moment.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in two sets.