“I’m going to go full power”: Alcaraz to show no mercy against Nadal at Six Kings Slam
The winner of Alcaraz v Nadal will make the grand final of the exhibition event
Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 © Zuma / Panoramic
Rafael Nadal fans who hoped that Carlos Alcaraz would show his elder statesman some deference on Thursday and hand the veteran a win in the Six Kings Slam semi-finals are fresh out of luck.
The younger Spaniard has made his intentions clear following a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over Holger Rune that saw him set an all-Spanish semi-final, warning Nadal that he is not going to hold back.
“I’m going to go full power,” declared Alcaraz of his upcoming clash with Nadal. “Without fear.”
“I’ll try to play good tennis if I want to beat him.”
The world No 2, who played doubles alongside Nadal at the recent Paris Olympics, shared that playing his idol will be a challenge for him.
“I watched his matches since I started playing,” he explained. “I look up to him. I grew up watching him. He was my idol. He’s still my idol. It’s a shame he announced he’s retiring. A really important person for my life. For my career. He was one of the reasons I wanted to become a tennis player. Knowing he’s retiring is tough for everyone. For me.
“It’s a privilege playing against him once again. It’s going to be tough for me. I’ll enjoy sharing the court with him once again. It’s really difficult for everyone.”
Despite the fact that Nadal is nearing retirement and has been largely inactive over the past two seasons due to a myriad of injury issues, Alcaraz is under no illusions of the level his fellow countryman will bring in Riyadh.
“I’m not surprised that he’s playing at 100 percent in practice,” he said. “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 for three or four months.
“He’s going to be back as strong as ever before.”
Alcaraz and Nadal will meet in the second semi-final of the Six Kings Slam on Thursday. The winner will move through to the grand final on Saturday against either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic, who play in the day’s first semi-final.
