Rafael Nadal loses to Carlos Alcaraz in first match since announcing retirement; Sinner beats Djokovic

With an eye on the Davis Cup, Rafael Nadal said he was pleased with his performance despite losing 6-3, 6-3 to Carlos Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam on Thursday. Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-7 (0), 6-4 in the other semifinal at the exhibition event that awards money but no ATP ranking points and is Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into tennis.

The match against Alcaraz was Nadal’s first since he announced last week that he would be retiring after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup next month. Nadal and Alcaraz played doubles together at the Paris Games and could team up again for the Davis Cup.

Nadal’s focus is on Davis Cup

“I have the Davis Cup in front (of me) in a month so every day is an opportunity to be better and better and be ready for this final tournament of my tennis career,” Nadal said. “I want to try my best to be ready for that and help the team in some way.”

More from Tennis

Why Novak Djokovic’s tennis calendar is under scrutiny as experts fear he could be left behind Federer India's historic tennis win: Sumit Nagal beats Henry Bernet as India reach Davis Cup qualifiers for first time

Thursday’s match was the first contest for Nadal since his exit at the Paris Olympics in July.

“Carlos was too good. I haven’t been on the competitive stage since a couple months ago,” Nadal said. “So yeah I think it was a good performance, even if it was not enough to play against an animal like him. But it was a positive match for me and I’m happy.”

Nadal vs Djokovic

Nadal will play Djokovic on Saturday in a third-place match before Sinner faces Alcaraz.

The top-ranked Sinner was cleared in a doping case shortly before winning last month’s US Open, although the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed that exoneration.

Djokovic and Sinner met for real on Sunday, when the Italian won in straight sets for the Shanghai Masters title.