RIYADH, OCT 17 – Carlos Alcaraz admits that it will be a ‘difficult moment’ against his ‘idol’ Rafael Nadal when the two Spanish stars meet for the last time.
Nadal, holder of 22 Grand Slam titles, announced last week that he will retire from tennis after the Davis Cup in Malaga next month.
But today, the 38-year-old will face Alcaraz to book a place in the final of the Six Kings Slam show event in Riyadh.
“Since I started playing tennis, I have always watched Nadal’s matches.
“I admire him and I grew up watching him. He was my idol, and still is.
“He is a very important person in my life, for my career and he is one of the reasons I want to become a professional tennis player.
“Knowing he’s going to retire is a bit difficult for everyone including me,” Alcaraz said after beating Holger Rune 6-4, 6-2 to set up an emotional meeting with Nadal.
Alcaraz, the French open and Wimbledon champion added, “I will try to enjoy sharing the court with him again, but I think this is something very difficult for everyone.”
Nadal and Alcaraz have met three times on the ATP Tour with the soon-to-be-retired veteran leading the head-to-head 2-1.
They also teamed up in the doubles event together at the Paris Olympics this year and are expected to team up again in the Davis Cup Final.
Nadal also made his final singles appearance at the Olympics at Roland Garros, where he won 14 French Open titles. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the tournament.
In the other semi-final in Riyadh, Djokovic will face Australian Open and US Open champion Jannik Sinner. Sinner, the world number one player, defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-3, yesterday.
“I know the meeting with Novak will be different than before,” said Sinner, who defeated Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters final last Sunday. – AFP
