has warned that he will not hold back when they play each other for the final time at the Six Kings Slam. Alcaraz breezed past in the quarter-finals on Wednesday to set up a blockbuster last-four meeting with Nadal.
The young Spaniard eased to a comfortable win over Rune, not facing a single break point over the course of the two sets. The result means Alcaraz will face his idol and compatriot Nadal for a place in the final against either Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner.
It could be Nadal's last-ever match on a singles court, with the 38-year-old . Alcaraz, however, is not intending to go easy on the king of clay when they do battle in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
"I'm going to go full power," said Alcaraz in his on-court interview after beating Rune. "I'm not surprised that he's playing at 100 per cent in practice, hitting the ball super hard and feeling it really well.
"The player he is, the legend he is, it doesn't matter that he stayed away from tennis for three or four months. He's going to be back as strong as ever before. I'll try to play good tennis if I want to beat him. I'm going to go full, without fear."
Alcaraz went on to emphasise the huge amount of respect he has for Nadal, saying: "Since I started playing tennis, I watched his matches. I looked up to him. I grew up watching him. He was my idol, and he is still my idol.
"He's a really important person for my life and for my career. He was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a professional tennis player."
The reigning champion did not need to get out of second gear against Rune despite finding the playing conditions at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh more difficult than usual.
"For me, it's a little bit tricky in these conditions," he admitted. "The ball flies a lot, bounces a lot, but I enjoyed my tennis, and I enjoyed my time on this court, and I enjoyed every single second on this court.
"It's been a really good year for me. A little bit of a rollercoaster. Big tournaments that I won this year, but at the same time, there were tournaments where I didn't play as I wanted."
You may also like
PK fields Army ex-vice chief Krishna Singh for Bihar bypoll
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: NSP Quits Mahayuti; Party President Mahadev Jankar Says It Will Contest All Seats Independently
It's Hooda vs Selja again before election of Haryana CLP
What Happened To Rachel Yaffe? TikToker Dies After 7-Year Battle With Rare Liver Cancer
Chelsea firmly rejects Liverpool requests after Rio Ngumoha transfer
Strictly's Paul Merson swipes at BBC bosses as fans fume he's doing another 'joke' dance
Remove page on earlier order in 36 hrs, Delhi HC tells Wikipedia
Ange Postecoglou admits he's 'ready to explode' at his Tottenham players this week
Daniil Medvedev made £16k a minute despite fuming in Jannik Sinner humiliation
Phillip Schofield 'keeps up family tradition' as he breaks silence after mum's death
UAE: ADNH Catering raises Dh864 million in successful IPO on Abu Dhabi exchange
Global family businesses promote multistakeholder collaboration
India's diaspora in the Gulf: A catalyst for global influence
Sea traffic in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait suspended due to heavy fog
Peter Capaldi makes sad admission about finding identity in Doctor Who character
LeBron James reaches out to JuJu Watkins as Caitlin Clark 'pressure' addressed
Nayab Singh Saini gets backing of Haryana MLAs, to take oath as CM today
Future Food Foundry invests more than $5 million in Greeneration
Kin alleges 'baby swap' at hospital
Strictly's Dianne Buswell uses unique way to banish negative energy during training