Netflix
continues to venture into live streaming of sporting events and, after its first experience last year with a tournament that brought together golf and Formula 1 stars, it made a big bet to take the second step.
This Sunday will celebrate the
Netflix Slam
, which will have a living tennis legend on one side of the network;
and on the other, to an heir who has already made history.
Rafael Nadal
, winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments and undisputed king of clay, and
Carlos Alcaraz
, world number two and the youngest player to ever reach the top of the rankings, will go head to head in an "epic duel "between two titans of the racket, in the heart of
Las Vegas
.
The event is at the
Michelob Ultra Arena
, at the
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
in "Sin City", at 12:30 local time (5:30 p.m. in Argentina).
And it can be followed live through that streaming platform
.
The exhibition was in suspense a few days ago, when Alcaraz had to retire in the first round at the
ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro
with his right ankle very swollen, after bending it in just the second point of the clash against local
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 courts after a stoppage due to injury.
The 37-year-old Mallorcan has not played since January due to a micro muscle tear in his hip that he suffered in his quarter-final match in Brisbane, the first tournament he played in after a year of inactivity.
With the two recovered, everything is ready for a show that generated great interest in the American public.
A week ago,
MGM Resorts International
, organizer of the event, reported that VIP packages, ranging in price from $878 to $9,398, had sold out.
The Legend and The Prodigy meet again.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz face off in The Netflix Slam, served LIVE from Las Vegas.
March 3, 12:30 PT / 3:30 ET pic.twitter.com/djn4xvgA5g
— Netflix (@netflix) February 15, 2024
The most expensive includes two front-row seats in the stadium, with capacity for 12,000 spectators, a luxury room in a hotel between the Aria, the Bellagio and the Delano, a
$1,000
voucher
for food and preferential treatment at the seating.
Three days before the duel, tickets could still be purchased for the highest sections of the stands, with prices between $230 and $460, although there were very few left.
And there were no more places in the seats closest to the court, for which some paid 3 thousand dollars.
While Nadal and Alcaraz will be the main attractions of the afternoon, they will not be the only figures in the Michelob Ultra Arena.
Andre Agassi
,
Andy Roddick
,
Jim Courier
,
Mary Joe Fernández
and
Patrick McEnroe
, idols of North American and world tennis, are some of the names who will be present.
Additionally,
David Ferrer
and
Feliciano López
will be in charge of broadcasting for Spanish-speaking markets.
While
Prakash Amritraj
, former Indian player trained in the United States and today an analyst for the
Tennis Channel
site , and presenter
Kay Adams
will provide the comments in English.
Alcaraz and Nadal, history, future and present of Spanish tennis, will be the main attractions of the afternoon in Las Vegas.
Photo EFE/Emilio Naranjo
The event will be much more than a simple match, because neither Netflix nor MGM wanted to waste the possibility of having two huge stars like
Rafa
and
Carlitos
together .
The organizers also offered tickets to a pre-match reception (some $2,000 VIP tickets are still available), with the option of paying extra to take a photo with one of the players.
And last weekend, in addition, training sessions with the Spanish went on sale.
To play alone for a while with Nadal or Alcaraz you had to pay 150 thousand dollars.
And it is worth saying there was, because the tickets for those heads-up were sold out in a matter of hours.
A little cheaper is the chance to attend a group clinic with Rafa and Carlitos: 50 thousand per person.
And also the options of playing with
Taylor Fritz
and
Frances Tiafoe
, two of the best American players of the moment, (25 thousand per head);
the retired
John Isner
and
Sam Querrey
(barely two thousand);
and with twins
Bob
and
Mike Bryan
, doubles legends ($1,000).
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sam Querrey (@samquerrey)
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 enormous difference between the price of a session with some of the Spaniards and one with him and his compatriot.
"Playing with Isner and me, only two thousand dollars. The robbery of the century," he started in a fun video that he shared on
.
"But let me tell you what you'll get from me for 150 grand. I'm going to walk your dog. I'm going to show you how to fold laundry. I'm even going to give you a psychological lesson on how not to win a Grand Slam. I'm going to make your taxes. I'm going to make you lunch. I'm going to explain to you how to create amazing social media content. I'm going to tuck you in at night before you go to sleep. And since you're not going to win a Grand Slam, I'm going to show you the next best thing. option: how to play pickleball".
Although the numbers were not revealed, Netflix and MGM Resorts surely had to put a significant amount 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 Wells.
, which will start next Wednesday.
The fees the Spanish demanded were kept private.
But according to specialized media,
Rafa
usually charges around a million dollars to participate in
ATP
tournaments ;
while Carlitos receives between 800 and 900 thousand.
And it would not be risky to think that, for an event like the one in Las Vegas, which is not part of the official calendar, they will have asked for higher figures.
Driver Carlos Sainz and golfer Justin Thomas won the Netflix Cup last year.
Photo Twitter
"I am very excited for my first visit to Las Vegas, one of the most emblematic and entertaining cities in the world. I am also very excited to play with my compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. I am sure it will be a fantastic night of tennis," said Nadal, who leads 2-1 in the history of confrontations with Alcaraz on the ATP circuit.
The
Netflix Slam
will be the second sporting event that that platform will broadcast live.
On November 14 of last year, the Netflix Cup
was broadcast worldwide
, an innovative competition that was promoted as "a unique fusion between the world of
Formula 1
and golf."
Drivers
Carlos Sainz
,
Lando Norris
,
Pierre Gasly
and
Alex Albon
joined
PGA Tour figures
Justin Thomas
,
Rickie Fowler
,
Max Homa
and
Tony Finau
on the Wynn club course in Las Vegas, for an eight-hole tournament that turned out very fun (although at times somewhat chaotic) for the spectators and which the Spaniard from Ferrari won, in partnership with Thomas.
This weekend, it will be the turn of tennis, the other sport that is already present in the Netflix offering with the reality show
Break 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.