Tennis news LIVE: Nadal makes touching Alcaraz gesture as star backtracks on retirement

The Six Kings Slam semi-finals signified another changing of the guard in tennis as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz prevailed against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal respectively.

For the Spanish veteran, it had been the first time he had stepped onto the court professionally since he announced his impending retirement from tennis.

He was paired up against the rightful heir to his throne and compatriot Alcaraz, who insisted before the match that he would not go easy on Nadal just because it would be the final time he took on his idol.

And the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion was true to his word, defeating Nadal 6-3, 6-3 in Saudi Arabia to progress to the final.

That is where he will face Sinner, who admitted that he needed to push through fatigue in order to defeat Djokovic 6-2, 6-7(0), 6-4, his second dismantling of the Serb in four days after also coming on top in the Shanghai Masters final.

Sinner will face Alcaraz on Saturday in the exhibition's showpiece, after Nadal and Djokovic meet for possibly one final time in the third-place play-off earlier in the day.

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