Novak Djokovic asks his biggest rival Rafael Nadal not to retire after his 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win for third-place; hopes to sit on a beach together for a drink and chat
Novak Djokovic (left) with Rafael Nadal at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic implored long-time adversary Rafael Nadal to put off his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard Saturday in what was likely to be the final chapter of their “amazing rivalry.” “Don’t leave tennis, man,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview after beating Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
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‘Very intense’ rivalry
He added that their battles over the years had been “very intense” and told Nadal he hoped they could one day “sit on a beach somewhere” and have a drink. Nadal, 38, announced on October 10 that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month. Organisers of the Saudi event billed Saturday’s match as perhaps Nadal’s last singles contest as a professional.
Nadal said on Thursday he was unsure whether he would be fit enough to play singles in Malaga. Djokovic and Nadal had faced each other 60 times on the main tour prior to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic holding a narrow 31-29 edge. Djokovic has racked up 24 Grand Slam titles in his career, two more than Nadal. Saturday’s match was mostly one-sided, with Nadal spraying errors and Djokovic wrapping up the first set in just 31 minutes.
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Nadal rallied to push the second set to a tie-break, reeling off winners and even treating fans to one last iconic fist pump before succumbing to Djokovic. “It’s great to see him still fighting even though he’s had injuries and struggles,” Djokovic, 37, told a post-match press conference. It was “a very emotional day, special day” because it was the “last time I play my biggest rival, Nadal,” he added.
“I’ve witnessed Andy Murray retiring this year, Roger [Federer] a few years ago as well. And now Rafa, you know. It’s tough in some way to see them go, because all of my career, basically, I’ve played with them.” After being presented with a golden tennis racket, Nadal in turn thanked Djokovic for the “amazing rivalry” and “for all the moments that we shared on court.”
Sinner beats Alcaraz
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 for the championship. The top-ranked Sinner, who had lost all three previous meetings this season, collected $6 million for the win.
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