The 38-year-old Nadal announced last week he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion faces two much-younger rivals who are ahead of him - and the need to keep them both close

The hype surrounding the Rafael Nadal vs Carlos Alcaraz match at 6 Kings Slam was justified, as many across the world logged onto X to watch it.

Novak Djokovic has enjoyed a remarkable career on the tennis court but has his eye on plenty of other things once he decides to retire from the sport.

Rafael Nadal starts his pre-retirement farewell tour against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Six Kings Slam, and Novak Djokovic faces Jannik Sinner at the exhibition event that awards money but no ATP ranking points and is Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into tennis.

This was the first contest for Rafael Nadal since his exit at the Paris Olympics in July. He will play Novak Djokovic on Saturday in a third-place match before Sinner faces Alcaraz.

Rafa Nadal will have one last chance to face old rival Novak Djokovic before the Spaniard calls time on his illustrious career with the pair set to meet at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.

Carlos Alcaraz admitted Wednesday it will be a "difficult moment" facing "idol" Rafael Nadal on Thursday as the Spanish superstars clash for the final time. He was my idol, he is still my idol," Alcaraz said on court after defeating Holger Rune 6-4,

"It’s definitely a transition, but it takes time. It’s a natural process, and people have been talking about it for many years."