The kingdom is putting on the richest tennis exhibition in history, but its wider ambitions in the sport have contracted.

Rafael Nadal starts his pre-retirement farewell tour against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Six Kings Slam.

The Six Kings Slam is an exhibition event for a half-dozen men that awards money but no ATP ranking points and is Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into tennis.

Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner will battle in a blockbuster semi-final at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh. The Serb returns to Saudi Arabia a year after fighting against Carlos Alcaraz, hoping for another memorable duel against the world's best player.

Carlos Alcaraz, winner of four majors, crushed the Dane Holger Rune (6-4 and 6-2) in his first game and now will face Nadal in the semi-finals of the tournament with this set to be the last ever game between the two idols of Spanish tennis, with the Davis Cup in Malaga next month set to mark Nadal’s definitive farewell from the sport.

TV channel: The match between Alcaraz and Nadal will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Tennis, with coverage getting underway at 7:30pm BST. Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to watch on a live stream online via the Sky Go app, while DAZN will be streaming the match for free.

Nadal will skip the quarter-final round at the Six Kings Slam and battle against Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune in the semi-final. The 22-time Major champion will end his career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga between November 19-24, competing in the national jersey two decades after debuting.