‘Making Tennis a Cheap Cinema’ – Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s Netflix Matchup Receives Brutal Thrashing From Fans

Ever since the close of the 2023 tennis season, Rafael Nadal has constantly made headlines for one reason or another. The Spanish legend missed almost the entire year owing to injuries. Despite age not being on his side, the former World Number 1 is determined to make a strong comeback in 2024. And he’ll begin his season in Brisbane ahead of the Australian Open. While this update has fans excited, another update has left them with a bitter taste.

Media giant Netflix just announced The Netflix Slam, a special featuring an exhibition match between Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. This news comes shortly after Nadal had announced his comeback from injuries. Here’s what the fans had to say about this matchup’s airing.

Fans slam the exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz

The news about Netflix’s exhibition match next year went viral on X, formerly Twitter. Although it was meant to excite fans who have not seen Nadal in action for too long, the battle between the two has faced massive backlash on Twitter.

A tennis blogger reacted to it by saying, “Except it’s not a slam… it’s a meaningless exhibition.”

Similarly, another fan disapproved of the idea, calling “tennis a cheap cinema for people who don’t know about tennis.”

Meanwhile, another fan wrote a sarcasm-laden message that read, “really? I hope it’d be available in any country as long as one is subscribed to Netflix.”

Another Twitter user was dejected with the idea, “This cant be real.”

One had had enough and said, “The netflix slam? I thought I’ve seen it all.”

Although fans disliked the idea, Nadal seemed to be quite excited about playing against his compatriot. Since the game takes place in Sin City, somewhere that Nadal will be visiting for the first time, he’s understandably excited.

Nadal eager to go up against Alcaraz

The Spaniard has been in awe of Carlos Alcaraz’s talent. In the past, he has expressed his wish to play with the young tennis sensation, making this exhibition match against Alcaraz a much-awaited event.

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Nadal told Netflix, “I’m very excited for my first visit to Las Vegas, one of the most iconic and entertaining cities in the world. I’m also very excited to be playing with my fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz. I am sure it will be a fantastic night of tennis.”

It remains to be seen how this tennis exhibition match is perceived by the audience on the day of the event, which is set for March 3, 2024, aka Sunday, at noon PST / 21:00 CET.

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