Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will face each other in a few hours for what will be the last time, in the semifinal of The Six Kings Slam, before the final farewell of the 22-time Slam champion, which will take place at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
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Carlitos defeated Holger Rune 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour, giving himself the chance to face his idol again, before they will be teammates at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, as the Spaniard recalled after beating his young Danish colleague
"I started playing tennis watching Nadal's matches on TV. He is my idol and always will be. The announcement of his retirement shocked me. He is an important person in my life, one of the main reasons why I became a tennis player. Now I have the chance to play the last match against him. It will be difficult and emotional.
I spoke to him a little bit these days, but not about tennis. We talked about life in general. He is training well and that does not surprise me. He is capable of coming back after months and playing very high quality tennis. My career is starting now and Rafa's forehand is still better than mine," he said, before focusing on the playing conditions in Riyadh:
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"The court is a little too fast for me! The ball travels very fast, but I managed to adapt somehow. It was nice to play here. I focused on myself, on my game; I wanted to return deep and hit the ball in the best way. It was a very good year for me. I played well in many big tournaments; in others less so. In every tournament I learned something from the other players. Coming to a new place is nice for me. I try to play the best tennis and enjoy this experience."
