Staff Reporter
SPANISH tennis fans will be marking March 3, 2024 in their diaries, after streaming giant Netflix announced that it will be broadcasting a live exhibition match that day from Las Vegas between the country’s top two stars of the sport, Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
The match between the 22-time Grand Slam men’s singles title champion Nadal, and fellow Spaniard and current World number 2 Alcaraz, will be broadcast in English and Spanish, and will feature additional players and match-ups that will be announced by Netflix at a later date.
“I’m very excited for my first visit to Las Vegas, one of the most iconic and entertaining cities in the world,” said Nadal. “I’m also very excited to be playing with my fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz. I am sure it will be a fantastic night of tennis.”
“I’m honoured and so happy to be sharing the court with Rafa in Las Vegas,” said Alcaraz, who is a US Open and Wimbledon champion. “He’s an all-time great, of course, and his records and achievements speak for themselves. Rafa also is one of the nicest guys on Tour and I look forward to our match on March 3.”
The event has been dubbed The Netflix Slam, and will be hosted by MGM Resorts International, and played inside the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Rafa Nadal, 37, made use of a video published on social media last week to explain his return to the tennis circuit, after a hip injury and subsequent operation saw him out of action for nearly a year.
“I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that things will go well,” he said in the message.
He is due to return at the Brisbane International Tennis tournament, which will begin on December 31.
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, described his 2023 as ‘spectacular’, and the 20-year-old has said that he is hopeful that next year he can knock Serbian Novak Djokovic from the number-one spot in the ATP singles ranking.
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