Neymar Jr. attended the Six Kings Slam semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday, October 17. After the match, Nadal met the Brazilian soccer icon and gifted him a racket.
Alcaraz faced his idol Nadal in a highly anticipated match in Riyadh during the Six Kings Slam exhibition event. Nadal had received a bye in the quarterfinal while Alcaraz got the better of Holger Rune 6-4, 6-2 to set up an all-Spanish semifinal clash.
The 21-year-old was the favorite going into the match considering his recent exploits in China while Nadal has not played a professional match since the Paris Olympics. Expectedly, Alcaraz registered a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win.
Neymar Jr., who plays club football for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, was also in attendance for the semifinal in Riyadh. He met Alcaraz on Wednesday after his quarterfinal against Rune, and, this time, he had a special meeting with Nadal.
The 38-year-old, who is set to retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in November, gifted Neymar his racket.
Watch the heartwarming moment below:
Later, Neymar took to his Instagram Story to show off his prized possession via a mirror selfie in an elevator. He also thanked Nadal and called him a legend.
Six Kings Slam Day 3: Rafael Nadal faces Novak Djokovic in third-place playoffs; Carlos Alcaraz takes on Jannik Sinner in the final
The third day of the Six Kings Slam exhibition event, Saturday, October 19, is set to feature two blockbuster matches. Novak Djokovic will take on Rafael Nadal in the third-place playoffs while Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns against Jannik Sinner in the final.
Djokovic and Nadal received byes into the semifinals of the exhibition event. In the quarterfinals, Sinner delivered a dominant 6-0, 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev to set up a semifinal clash with Djokovic.
The two had faced off just days earlier in the Shanghai Masters final, where Sinner had defeated the Serb. In Riyadh, the pair battled in another thrilling match, with Sinner once again coming out on top, winning 6-2, 6-7(0), 6-4.
In the other quarterfinal, Alcaraz defeated Holger Rune and went on to face Nadal in the semifinal. After defeating his idol, Alcaraz has set up a massive final clash against World No. 1 Sinner. The winner of the final is set to earn a $6 million payday.
