Rafael Nadal and Holger Rune were among the players who competed at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, and the Dane admitted to being surprised by the Spaniard's level during practice.
The Six Kings Slam was Nadal's penultimate appearance before his upcoming retirement at the Six Kings Slam. Rune, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev were the other players who participated.
Despite Nadal's incredible achievements throughout his illustrious career, expectations were not very high for him in Saudi Arabia since he had played so little in the last two years due to injuries.
However, Nadal competed well in both of his matches. He produced some magic moments during a straight sets defeat to compatriot and world No. 2 Alcaraz. The pair are likely to play doubles together at the Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal then came very close to winning a set against Novak Djokovic but ultimately lost 2-6, 6-7. Djokovic paid an emotional tribute to his old rival after their final meeting.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion's encouraging performances at the Six Kings Slam make playing singles at the Davis Cup Finals a possibility. That will require careful consideration, and Nadal has promised he will not be on the singles court unless he is ready.
Alcaraz is guaranteed to play singles, but Roberto Bautista Agut's recent outstanding run to the European Open title in Antwerp means he is a viable option for the other singles position if Nadal feels he cannot compete in the singles.
Whether he plays in the singles or not, Nadal's career will be over after the Davis Cup Finals, but Rune questioned whether that was the right move after practicing with the 38-year-old at the Six Kings Slam.
Speaking at the ongoing Paris Masters, Rune admitted to having that thought about Nadal after being inspired by the level at which he and Djokovic practiced despite everything they have achieved.
"Do I get inspiration from other players or do I just focus on myself? A bit of both. I think inspiration is important, but I always try to be a beast, whether it’s in training, in preparation or in a match, I always want to push myself."
"You get inspiration from players like Djokovic or Rafa Nadal. I remember training with Rafa in Riyadh and it’s surprising: this guy is almost retired and he trains with such intensity that you think: ‘You shouldn’t retire’. He’s had an incredible career and he’s achieved so much, it’s not for nothing that Rafa and Novak both give their all in every training session."
Although Rune only played one match in Riyadh, a defeat to Alcaraz, Rune enjoyed the experience and said it was fun to train and do other activities with the other five players.
"It was a lot of fun, it was great to be able to compete in such a small event. I only played one match, against Carlos, but to be able to train with the boys all week and spend time with them off the court – I already know them, but it brought us closer, we had a lot of activities together, it was really fun."
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