"Six Kings Slam"

Nadal misses final at tournament in Saudi Arabia

Rafael Nadal

(Bild: AFP)

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has missed the final of the "Six Kings Slam" show tournament in Saudi Arabia on his farewell tour!

The 22-time Grand Slam winner, who is retiring from the tennis stage at the end of the year, lost 3:6, 3:6 to his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday evening. In the final, Alcaraz will face Italian Jannik Sinner, who had previously beaten Olympic champion Novak Djokovic 6:2, 6:7(7), 6:4.

However, this means that the two long-time rivals Nadal and Djokovic will meet in the match for third place. "Having Novak in front of me is a nostalgic thing," said Nadal. "We've played each other many times before, so it will be fun to face each other again in this match."

The stars of the industry are said to have received a rumored entry fee of 1.5 million US dollars for their participation in the invitational tournament. The winner's prize is estimated at 6 million US dollars, which is almost twice as much as a Grand Slam tournament. There is no official title or world ranking points at stake.

Never before has a show tournament had such a high-class line-up and been so well endowed as the "Six Kings Slam", which also takes place during the ATP season. This is only possible because no major ATP tournament is scheduled during this period and there is a one-day break in competition. According to the ATP, unofficial events may not take place on three or more consecutive days.

Nadal recently announced his final retirement at the end of the season. Before his farewell at the Davis Cup final in mid-November, the 38-year-old is to fulfill his role as Saudi Arabia's tennis ambassador.