Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Semifinal, Thursday, 10/17/2024, 7:50 p.m.
He will face his idol on the court once again. Carlos Alcaraz will face Rafael Nadal at the Riyadh Exhibition Tournament. While the 22-time Grand Slam winner was already set for the semi-finals, Alcaraz held his own against Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.
No ATP points are awarded, but there is a whopping record prize money. The tournament winner will take home six million US dollars, almost twice as much as in a Grand Slam. In total, each of the six players will receive a nice appearance fee of 1.5 million.
It’s understandable that Nadal wouldn’t turn down an invitation like this one month before the end of his career. But I don’t think he’ll do much against his young compatriot. However, the odds are also low. The sets shouldn’t be long either, so I’ll go with the 1.52 odds for no tiebreak from NEO.bet.
Nadal’s last matches were at the Olympics. In Paris, he lost in the second round to Novak Djokovic. It should have been the last clash of the titans, at least if nothing unusual happens in the Six Kings Slam.
Djokovic is likely to suffer the next defeat against Jannik Sinner after only a few days and Nadal to Alcaraz. The odds are clear, almost too high for Alcaraz, who was given 1.10.
From a purely sporting point of view, the match is a foregone conclusion. Perhaps the bookmakers still have some doubts as to whether Alcaraz will really give 100 percent against his idol, or whether he wants to play a nice, probably last match with him.
At NEO.bet, a larger selection of the game is waiting, which not too many betting providers even offer, on paper it is only a friendly tournament, albeit with a very high prize money.
The starting bonus alone is higher than the Shanghai Masters winner’s prize money.
For the smooth Alcaraz victory, we get odds just above the 1.40 mark, a great bet. However, I like the 1.52 even better for the fact that there will be no tiebreak.
I am sure there will be a few breaks, especially successful ones from Alcaraz. By the way, NEO.bet is one of the betting providers without tax.
Alcaraz has faced Nadal three times in official matches, losing 1-2 in the head-to-head. On his 18th birthday, he was able to play against his childhood hero for the first time, in the Madrid Masters in the second round.
The duel ended 6-1, 6-2. A year later, he managed to achieve his only victory to date against the now 38-year-old in the quarter-finals, almost to the day. In the meantime, they faced each other in Indian Wells, where the stars presented themselves in three sets.
However, the last match was two and a half years ago. Alcaraz has since developed strongly and Nadal was unable to match his previous form on his long-awaited return this year.
While Alcaraz has won two Grand Slams and Masters tournaments this year, as well as other tournaments, Nadal has often been knocked out early. In Madrid, he at least made it to the quarterfinals, and in Bastad, Sweden, he was in the final of the 250 series.
Overall, he lost way too many service games across all tournaments. His returns looked playful and, based on the numbers, not that bad, but he was always too far behind to beat the world’s elite.
And now he hasn’t played a match in about three months and Alcaraz swept Holger Rune off the court in no time. Of course, Alcaraz’s motivation was even greater against the Dane to be able to share the court with Nadal again.
Maybe we will see them together as the Spanish double in the Davis Cup, just like at the Olympics.
My Alcaraz Nadal Tip
Alcaraz and Nadal have never played a tiebreak before, and the sets have generally been clear. From a purely sporting point of view, the encounter is a clear-cut affair for the man from El Palmar, who is about half the age of his opponent.
However, the 2-0 victory is a bit too much for me for the rather low odds. Besides, I don’t know whether Alcaraz will give 100 percent in an exhibition against his childhood idol over the entire match.
Therefore, I prefer to go a bit higher when choosing the odds and opt for the bet that there will be no tiebreak. I expect a lot of breaks anyway.
Alternatively, you can also take a look around at Bet-at-home. There are also some odds for the game and a Bet-at-home voucher code.
My Alcaraz Nadal Tip: No Tiebreak in the Match
