The contest between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal was perhaps the most-anticipated match in the Six Kings Slam 2024. Nadal had already received a bye into the semifinals, meaning that it was his first match in the Saudi Arabian exhibition tournament. So the Spanish legend put his best foot forward and gave his protege, Alcaraz, quite a fight on Thursday night, despite ending up on the losing side.
Even though the retiring Nadal is way past his prime, the Spanish fiesta in Riyadh managed to gain as many as 429,000 views at the start of the second set on its live-streaming post on X. Eventually, that number reached nearly a whopping 500,000. Not bad for a tournament on its debut!
At the start of the match, that number was at 310,000, which was more than double the 150,000 views the second set of the Jannik Sinner-Novak Djokovic match could attract.
Looks like the 6 Kings Slam organisers got the timing right for the Nadal-Alcaraz match! pic.twitter.com/bFz2sh66bP
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) October 17, 2024
However, the lesser number of views in the first semi-final could also be attributed to the match timing, which was a bit early for European and US audiences. It began at 12.15 PM ET, while the Nadal-Alcaraz match kicked off at 3.35 PM ET.
In the Sinner-Djokovic semi-final, the Serb managed to win the second set 7-6 (0) despite losing the first, 2-6. Eventually, Sinner won the contest after bagging the final set 6-4.
Highlights from the Nadal-Alcaraz Six Kings Slam match
Boris Becker was amongst the big names who tuned in for the match and enjoyed it the most. The emotion of seeing Nadal playing Alcaraz for one last time as an opponent was a sight to behold for many as the torch passed on officially from one generation to another.
Great match and wonderful scenes at the end between @RafaelNadal and @carlosalcaraz !
Rafa played well let me tell ya !
So much respect from Carlos for his idol ,again the interview with @AndrewCastle63 with both players a joy to watch ! #RiyadhSeason— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) October 17, 2024
While Alcaraz eventually won 6-3, 6-3, the scoreline does not show the entertainment levels of the match. Nadal did bring up some moments of joy and some vintage moments that could make any 2000s fan or his superfan nostalgic.
Nadal could be washed, tired, fatigued, broken, bruised or in a wheelchair but that Forehand would still be forehanding. pic.twitter.com/9LjmEawhII
— Zain | Gracias Rafael ❤️ (@ItzzZain10) October 17, 2024
Interestingly, the post-match interview with both players raised a lot of eyebrows. Andrew Castle, the British broadcaster, called Nadal a ‘loser’ before beginning with his questions. Although he might have been intended to be funny, Alcaraz jumped to his idol’s defense without sounding angry, which delighted the crowd.
Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz after their match at Six Kings Slam
“Do you mind if I start with the loser?”
Carlos: “Don’t talk like that. Don’t talk like that.” pic.twitter.com/AuyUqTbLT4
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 17, 2024
With Nadal losing the semi-final, it would be an apt finish to his singles career as a professional player when he takes on Novak Djokovic on Saturday for the 3rd place match. The Spaniard still has the Davis Cup Finals to play in Malaga in November, which would be his last appearance in any form of tennis and, more so, for his country. Irrespective of Saturday’s result, Nadal is set to take home $1.5 million.
On the other hand, Alcaraz is through to the final and will take on his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, on Saturday right after the Nadal-Djokovic match. If Alcaraz manages to beat the World No.1 as well, he could win a whopping $6 million, a figure he has never won in any professional tennis tournament to date. The matches will be available to US fans on DAZN and UK fans on Sky Sports.
