Carlos Alcaraz has warned Rafael Nadal he is “going to go full power” and play “without fear” in the pair’s clash at the Six Kings Slam exhibition.
The world No 2 is “not surprised” Nadal is practicing at “100%” and he expects his idol to be “stronger than ever before” in the match despite his recent inactivity.
Alcaraz eased to a 6-4, 6-2 win against Holger Rune in his first match at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh on Thursday to set up a semi-final meeting with Nadal, who received a bye.
In a post on his Instagram story after beating Rune, Alcaraz wrote: “Happy with today’s win and really looking forward to playing against Rafa one last time here in Riyadh tomorrow!”
Nadal, who has not played since the Paris Olympics in July, announced last week that he will retire after the Davis Cup Finals in November.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles event at the Games.
The 38-year-old also joined forces with Alcaraz in Paris to form a dream Spanish men’s doubles team and the duo reached the quarter-finals.
