Carlos Alcaraz likely just played his tennis idol Rafael Nadal for the last time in their professional careers during Thursday's semifinal match of the Six Kings Slam. Although the score makes it look like Alcaraz ran away with the match at 6-3, 6-3, the 21-year-old admitted he still had to play his best in order to beat the 22-time major champion.

Rafael Nadal revealed several years ago he was told that there was "someone very good" coming up in Spain and he realized that was true after hitting the practice court with current world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz during the 2021 Australian Open.

Juan Carlos Ferrero didn’t have any bad blood after Rafael Nadal replaced him during the Davis Cup 2004 final against the USA.

One player was very impacted by Nadal's retirement news—Carlos Alcaraz. The fellow Spaniard has shared throughout the start of his promising career how big of an inspiration and role model Nadal has been for him in his life. Alcaraz met Nadal at a very young age and even got to play doubles in the 2024 Paris Olympics with him.

Carlos praised his idol, admitting he sought a professional career after watching Rafa's matches while growing up. The young gun will try to enjoy the duel, although it will not be easy, considering it's the veteran's penultimate tournament in a career.