Carlos Alcaraz admits that he ‘doesn’t know if it is a privilege’ to play Rafael Nadal again
Carlos Alcaraz has spoken about the conflicting feelings he has after setting up a meeting to play against his ‘idol’ Rafael Nadal at the ‘Six Kings Slam’ exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.
Alcaraz set up this meeting after beating Holger Rune, 6-4 6-2, with the Dane earning $1.5million despite losing in just one hour and 12 minutes.
This means that the Wimbledon champion will now play Nadal in the semi-finals, who last appeared on a match court alongside Alcaraz in doubles at the Paris Olympics.
Despite the hype surrounding their upcoming encounter, Alcaraz has admitted to having mixed emotions given that Nadal is retiring next month.
“I grew up watching him. He was my idol, is still my idol. It is a shame that he announced that he’s going to retire from tennis,” said Alcaraz. “He’s a really important person for my life, for my career.
“He was one of the reasons that I wanted to become a professional tennis player, so knowing that he’s going to retire from tennis is pretty tough for everyone, for me.”
The 21-year-old added, “So I don’t know if it is a privilege, playing against him once again or if it’s going to be tough for me. But I will try to enjoy sharing the court with him once again, but I think it’s really difficult for everyone.”
Alcaraz and Nadal have played on three occasions at ATP level, with the latter having the advantage after winning two of those meetings.
They also played an exhibition match in Las Vegas earlier this year, with Alcaraz getting the victory on that occasion.
Although Alcaraz confessed that he does not know how to feel heading into this match, the World No.2 revealed that he will certainly not be holding back.
“I’m going to go full power,” said Alcaraz. “I’m not surprised he’s practicing and he’s 100%, hitting the ball super hard, feeling the ball really well.
“I’m not surprised at all, because of the player he is, the legend he is. It doesn’t matter that he stayed away from tennis for three, four months. He’s going to come back stronger than ever before. So I’m going to try to play good tennis if I want to beat him, but I’m going to go full without fear.”
Alcaraz and Nadal will take to the court in Riyadh later today, with a place in the $6millon final against either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic on the line.
It’s a Nadalcaraz semifinal 👀 #SixKingsSlam pic.twitter.com/8SWS5WJRV7
— TENNIS (@Tennis) October 16, 2024
Inside the baseline…
It is completely understandable that Carlos Alcaraz does not know how to feel, as he is playing his idol in what will be one of the last matches of Rafael Nadal’s illustrious career. That being said, although there is a lot of money on the line in Riyadh, it is only an exhibition and it is a chance for both Alcaraz and Nadal to put on a show for tennis fans in the stands and watching across the globe.
READ MORE: Six Kings Slam winner to pocket record-breaking prize money
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