Jannik Sinner prevailed in a prestigious duel against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals in Saudi Arabia. In the other semi-final, Carlos Alcaraz gives Rafael Nadal no chance.
Rafael Nadal missed a surprise against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz on his farewell tour. The 38-year-old lost 3:6, 3:6 in the semifinals of the controversial “Six Kings Slam” in Saudi Arabia. Nadal will play against Grand Slam record winner Novak Djokovic in the game for third place on Saturday, while Alcaraz will face tennis world number one Jannik Sinner in the final.
“It was my pleasure. Carlos was too good,” said Nadal: “It was a positive match for me. I’m happy.” About a week ago, the Spaniard announced in a moving video that he wanted to end his career in November. The Davis Cup finals in Malaga will be the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s last tournament. Recently, Nadal had repeatedly struggled with serious injuries.
Sinner had previously reached the final. The Italian beat Djokovic 6:2, 6:7 (0:7), 6:4. “We were both a bit tired. It was a tough game,” said Sinner, who continued his successful run by winning the prestigious duel. A few days ago he had already prevailed against the Serb in the final of the ATP Masters in Shanghai. Now he needed 2:27 hours to defeat his competitor.
“Six Kings Slam” is being criticized
The spectacularly marketed “Six Kings Slam” and the participation of the sport’s top stars caused discussions in advance. Critics accuse the venue, Saudi Arabia, of wanting to use “sportswashing” to cover up mistakes such as human rights violations. The star line-up in Riyadh is also interesting in view of the simmering discussion about stress in professional tennis. Alcaraz, who recently complained loudly about the calendar being too full (“it will kill us”), is now competing in the Laver Cup in Saudi Arabia, as he did last time in Berlin.
Each of the six players will reportedly receive at least $1.5 million for their participation, with the winner receiving as much as $6 million. That’s about twice as much as world number one Jannik Sinner received for his victory at the US Open.
