Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will go head to head one last time in Saudi Arabia tonight. The Spain duo are set to square off in the second semi-final of the inaugural and highly-lucrative Six Kings Slam tennis semi-final, after Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner have first battled for the second time in as many days in Riyadh following an enthralling Shanghai Masters showpiece last weekend.
Nadal, 38, announced last week that he would next month be ending his illustrious career that brought 22 Grand Slam titles in total, having struggled with repeated injury setbacks over recent years.
While Alcaraz will still get one last hurrah alongside his idol in the Davis Cup finals on home soil in Malaga in November, Thursday’s exhibition clash will surely be the last time that they line up on opposite sides of the court.
Nadal has won two of his previous three meetings against Alcaraz, though the pair have not met since Alcaraz’s win in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Madrid Open.
A huge £4.6million worth of prize money awaits the winner of this six-man competition, with Nadal getting a bye through but Alcaraz needing to see off Holger Rune to make the final four.