Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are gearing up to play each other at the Netflix Slam, a prestigious exhibition in Las Vegas.
The two titans of Spanish men's tennis will cross paths for the first time since the 2022 Madrid Masters when Alcaraz famously earned his first win over his legendary compatriot. Their clash will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be streamed live on Netflix.
Those fortunate and with deeper pockets to get a spot at the 12,000-seater Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort will pay a fortune. Courtside tickets sold for as high as $3,000 per person. No wonder the event organizers are reportedly poised to pay back the two participants a lot of money in return.
Both Nadal and Alcaraz are reportedly in line to receive in excess of $1 million in appearance fees for this one-off match. This doesn't come as a surprise, considering that the pair are crowd magnets with a solid reputation as the ultimate professionals on and off the court.
Nadal's popularity within the tennis ranks is evident. Very recently, he became the first tennis player to cross 21 million followers on Instagram. Alcaraz, although relatively young on tour, is already among the top 5 most-followed accounts on the same platform among active ATP players.
They have a lot in common, even though the age gap is substantially in double digits. Both players have held the World No. 1 ranking and won multiple Grand Slams. Alcaraz still has a long way to go to match half of Nadal's accomplishments. However, his future is so bright.
There were doubts about the 20-year-old's involvement after sustaining an untimely injury at the 2024 Rio Open in Brazil. But Alcaraz was confident of recovering in time to play at the event. Nadal, for his part, has been building fitness since he injured his hip at the Brisbane International.