Rafael Nadal waxed lyrical about Carlos Alcaraz after the two-time Grand Slam winner walked away with the honours at Netflix’s inaugural live sports event, The Netflix Slam, in Las Vegas.
The exhibition event in Las Vegas was a treat as several celebrities – including Hollywood A-listers Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas and Charlize Theron, and sporting stars Pau Gasol, Colin Kaepernick and Lindsey Vonn – attended the streaming giant’s first foray into live sports broadcasting at the MGM Resorts International.
The unwritten rule of exhibition matches states it must always go to the distance to give fans value for money and that is what happened in Las Vegas between the Spanish giants. In the end, it was reigning world No 2 Alcaraz who emerged victorious via the super tiebreaker as he 3-6, 6-4, [14-12].
The match was very much played at training pace as it was Nadal’s first semi-competitive clash since he picked up an injury at the Brisbane International in January.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, had struggled with an injury himself in the build-up to the clash after he rolled his ankle during the Rio Open a fortnight ago and was forced to pull out of his first-round match.
But there was always going to be a feel-good factor on the night and Nadal had nothing but praise for 20-year-old rising star Alcaraz after the event.
The moment Carlos Alcaraz won #TheNetflixSlam pic.twitter.com/AKJnnRv3AY
— Netflix (@netflix) March 3, 2024
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