Carlos Alcaraz kickstarted his Six Kings Slam campaign with an impressive first-round win over Holger Rune.
And, in doing so, he set up the clash that everyone wanted to see against Rafael Nadal.
Two Spanish tennis legends facing off in Saudi Arabia promises fireworks, however the conditions at this new event might not be favourable for all the players.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts to Six Kings Slam conditions
Speaking to Sky Sports after his routine first-round win over Rune, the Spaniard looked ahead to his next opponent.
In fact, Alcaraz even Rafael Nadal a warning of sorts, suggesting he would go ‘full power’ on his legendary compatriot and idol.
Before that, the 21-year-old spoke about the conditions at the Six Kings Slam, and how he was faring adjusting to this new Saudi exhibition.
He admitted to finding it quite difficult at first, noting: ‘For me, it’s a bit tricky these conditions. The balls flies a lot and bounces a lot, so for me I like a lot these conditions. I enjoyed my tennis, my time here on this court. It’s great to spend time to play in front of you, so I enjoyed every single second on this court.
‘I am trying to make it even more difficult for them [my opponent]. Try and adapt myself a little bit, my game to the conditions and the court. At the beginning, I struggled a bit [with] how I have to return, if I have to return from deep or inside the court. But once I found it I started to play better and better and I think he struggled a bit more than me.’
There is no surface that can thwart Carlos Alcaraz
Although he might admit to struggling, it shows the quality of Carlos Alcaraz that he still cruised to victory after a quick adjustment.
In fact, there is really no surface that can thwart the four-time Grand Slam champion really, who was the youngest man to ever win three majors across three different surfaces.
It took him no time at all to become a master of the grass court, winning back-to-back Wimbledon titles and beating Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest of all time on that surface, in both finals.
And it should come as no surprise that he was adept on clay as a Spaniard, winning Roland Garros for the first time this year too.
Alcaraz’s career is poised to be one of the greatest of all time given his current trajectory, and with this ongoing exhibition tournament, he will have more than enough money too.
Here’s the full prize money for the Six Kings Slam.
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