Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria and the couple’s adorable two-year-old son were in attendance for the legendary Spaniard’s semifinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz at the ongoing Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, their cheerful presence could not steer the former World No. 1 to victory, as he was quite comprehensively beaten by his young compatriot.
The Spanish duo were among six big names roped in for the inaugural edition of the lucrative exhibition event. Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune were the others. Both Nadal and Djokovic started their respective campaigns at the event in the semifinals. Alcaraz had set up a clash against the 22-time Major winner by defeating Rune in the quarterfinals.
During the high-profile encounter between the two Spaniards, the cameras momentarily turned to Rafael Nadal’s box. Here, his wife Maria, who married Nadal in October 2019, and their two-year-old son, Rafael Jr., were seen watching the match unfold intently.
Check out the heartwarming moment below:
The match itself, though, was mostly a one-sided contest, as Carlos Alcaraz stormed to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Meanwhile, it marked his veteran compatriot’s first outing since his doubles loss alongside Alcaraz at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The former World No. 1’s last singles loss also came at the Paris Games—a second-round defeat at the hands of great rival Novak Djokovic.
Later, Nadal admitted that he tried to do his best considering his infrequent on-court appearances this season but failed to match up to Alcaraz’s level.
Rafael Nadal describes Carlos Alcaraz as an “animal”; and acknowledges that the Six Kings Slam outing is all about having “fun”
During a post-match interaction with DAZN, Nadal came clean on what it felt like to face reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz. The former World No. 1 conceded that his young competitor was the better player and likened him to an “animal” due to his mercurial growth and phenomenal success in recent years.
“Carlos was too good. He’s been playing fantastic the last few years, better and better. I think it was a good performance (from myself), but it wasn’t even enough to play against an animal like him,” Nadal said.
At a press conference, the record 14-time French Open champion further elaborated on his Six Kings Slam participation. The 22-time overall Major winner stated that he knew coming into the event that he would be facing players who have played more consistently and at a higher level than him so far this season.
“I have not much pressure here. I’m just trying to have fun. I know I’m going to play against players that… are in much better shape than me because they are on the professional tour and winning tournaments,” Nadal said.
The legendary Spaniard has already announced that he will call time on his professional tennis-playing career after featuring in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals for Spain.
