The Netflix Slam: Nadal-Alcaraz and all the secrets of the historic match that will be streamed

Netflix He continues to try his hand at live broadcasting sporting events and, after his first experience last year with a tournament bringing together golf and Formula 1 stars, he bet big on taking the second step. This Sunday we will celebrate Netflix Slam, which will have a living tennis legend on one side of the net; and on the other to an heir who has already made history. Rafael Nadalwinner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments and undisputed king of clay, and Carlos Alcaraznumber two in the world and the youngest player to ever reach the top of the rankings, will face each other in an “epic duel” between two titans of the racket, in the heart of Las Vegas.

The appointment is at Michelob Ultra Arenainside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino from “Sin City”, at 12:30 pm local time (5:30 pm in Argentina). And it can be followed live through that streaming platform.

The performance was in suspense a few days ago, when Alcaraz had to withdraw in the first round ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro with his right ankle very swollen, after bending it on the second point of the clash against the local team Thiago Monteiro. But the 20-year-old from Murcia confirmed shortly after that his injury – a grade II lateral sprain – would not prevent him from traveling to Las Vegas.

The match will also mark Nadal’s return to the court after being out due to injury. The 37-year-old from Mallorca has not played since January due to a micro muscle tear in his hip sustained in the Brisbane quarter-finals, the first tournament he has played in after a year of inactivity.

With the two recovered, everything is ready for a show that has aroused great interest in the American public. A week ago, MGM Resorts Internationalevent organizer, reported that VIP packages, which ranged in price from $878 to $9,398, were sold out.

The most expensive include two front row seats in the stadium, which can accommodate 12,000 spectators, a luxury room in a hotel between the Aria, the Bellagio and the Delano, a voucher; cutting a thousand dollars for food and preferential treatment in seats.

Three days before the duel, tickets for the upper sections of the stands could still be purchased, with prices ranging from $230 to $460, even though there were very few left. And there were no more seats in the places closest to the field, for which some paid 3 thousand dollars.

If Nadal and Alcaraz will be the main attractions of the afternoon, they will not be the only figures present at the Michelob Ultra Arena. Andrea Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mary Joe Fernandez AND Patrick McEnroeidols of North American and world tennis are some of the names that will be present.

Moreover, David Ferrer AND Feliciano López They will be responsible for broadcasts for Spanish-speaking markets. While Prakash Amritrajformer Indian player trained in the United States and now an analyst for the site Tennis channeland the presenter Kay Adams They will make comments in English.

The event will be much more than a simple meeting, because neither Netflix nor MGM wanted to waste the possibility of having two big stars like Rafa AND Carlitos.

Organizers also offered tickets to a pre-game reception (around $2,000 VIP tickets are still available), with the option to pay extra to take a photo with one of the players.

And last weekend, training sessions with the Spaniards were also put on sale. To play a little alone with Nadal or Alcaraz you had to shell out 150 thousand dollars. And it’s worth saying, because the heads-up tickets sold out within hours.

The possibility of attending a group clinic with Rafa and Carlitos is a little cheaper: 50 thousand per person. And also the options with which to rally Taylor Fritz AND Francesca Tiafoe, two of the best American players of the moment, (25 thousand each); the retired John Isner AND Sam Querrey (just two thousand); and with the twins Bob AND Mike Bryandouble the legends (one thousand dollars).

Querrey, who hung up his racket in 2022 and today plays pickleball professionally (a sport that combines elements of tennis, paddle tennis, badminton and table tennis), joked on his social networks about the huge difference between the price of a session with some of the Spaniards and one with him and his compatriot.

“Playing with me and Isner, only two thousand dollars. The robbery of the century,” he began in a funny video shared on instagram. “But let me tell you what you’ll get from me for $150,000. I’ll walk your dog. I’ll show you how to fold laundry. I’ll even give you a psychological lesson on how not to win a Slam. I’ll pay your taxes. I’ll make your lunch . I’ll show you how to create great social media content. I’ll tuck you in at night before you go to sleep. And since you’re not going to win a Grand Slam, I’ll show you the second best option: how to play pickleball.”

While the numbers were not revealed, Netflix and MGM Resorts certainly had to put a significant amount of money on the table to convince Nadal and Alcaraz to make room in their busy calendars and play an exhibition just days before the first Masters 1000 of the season, Indian wellswhich starts next Wednesday.

Taxes demanded by the Spanish were kept private. But according to the specialized media Rafa He usually charges around a million dollars to participate in tournaments ATP; while Carlitos receives between 800 and 900 thousand. And it would not be far-fetched to think that, for an event like the one in Las Vegas, which is not included in the official calendar, they will have asked for higher figures.

“I am very excited for my first visit to Las Vegas, one of the most emblematic and fun cities in the world. I am also very excited to play with my compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. I am sure it will be a fantastic evening of tennis,” said Nadal , who leads 2-1 in the history of matches with Alcaraz in the ATP circuit.

He Netflix Slam It will be the second sporting event that this platform will broadcast live. On November 14 last year he broadcast to the whole world the Netflix Cupan innovative competition that was promoted as “a unique fusion between the world of Formula 1 and golf.

The pilots Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly AND Alex Albon They were joined by the figures of PGA Tour Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa AND Tony Finau on the course of the Wynn Club in Las Vegas, for a very entertaining (even if at times a bit chaotic) eight-hole tournament for the spectators and won by the Spaniard from Ferrari, paired with Thomas.

This weekend it will be the turn of tennis, the other sport already present in the Netflix offer with the reality show Breaking point. And with Nadal and Alcaraz as the main protagonists, the duel between “the legend and the prodigy” promises to be a spectacle not to be missed.