‘Don’t give up tennis,’ Djokovic tells Nadal after ‘amazing rivalry’

Novak Djokovic pleaded with his long-time opponent Rafael Nadal to postpone his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard on Saturday in what is likely to be the final chapter of their “amazing rivalry”.

“Don’t give up tennis, man,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview after defeating Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia .

He added that their fights over the years had been “very intense” and told Nadal he hoped one day they could “sit on the beach somewhere” and have a drink.

Nadal, 38, announced on October 10 that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup final in Malaga next month.

Organizers of the Saudi event described Saturday’s match as perhaps Nadal’s final individual competition as a professional.

Nadal said on Thursday he was not sure whether he would be fit enough to play singles in Malaga.

Djokovic and Nadal – two of the sport’s famous “Big Three” alongside Roger Federer – had faced each other 60 times on the main tour before Saturday’s friendly, with Djokovic holding a slim lead of 31-29.

Their last meeting came during the Paris Olympics on the same Roland Garros courts where Nadal won 14 French Open titles, although Djokovic triumphed comfortably 6-1, 6-4.

Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles in his career, two more than Nadal.

Saturday’s match was largely one-sided as Nadal made a few errors and Djokovic closed out the first set in just 31 minutes.

Backed by the support of the partisan crowd who openly cheered Djokovic’s double fault, Nadal rallied to take the second set to a tie-break, winning the winners and even giving fans one last legendary fist pump before succumbing to Djokovic.

“It’s great to see that he’s still fighting despite injuries and problems,” the 37-year-old Djokovic said at a post-match press conference.

It was “a very emotional day, a special day” because it was “the last time I played against my biggest rival, Nadal,” he added.

“I saw Andy Murray retire this year, Roger (Federer) too a few years ago. And now Rafa, you know. It’s difficult in a way to see them go because basically I’ve played with them my entire career.”

After being presented with a golden tennis racket, Nadal in turn thanked Djokovic for the “incredible rivalry” and “for all the moments we shared on the court.”

– Sinner defeats Alcaraz –

In the exhibition final on Saturday, Australian Open and US Open winner Jannik Sinner beat French Open and Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, avenging his defeat in Beijing earlier this month.

“I wake up in the morning and try to understand how I can beat him,” Sinner said in an on-court interview after winning the match 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, and added that he hoped their rivalry would last “as long as possible.”

Alcaraz has a 6-4 lead in head-to-head Tour competition.

Saudi Arabia’s foray into tennis began last year with its first ATP Tour event – the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah – and friendlies featuring Djokovic against Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka against Ons Jabeur.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced in April that Riyadh would host the next three editions of the Tour Finals, featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams.

The 2024 showpiece will take place from November 2nd to 9th.

Earlier this year, Nadal was named an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.

The tennis world’s acceptance of Saudi Arabia has drawn some criticism, particularly from greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who have expressed concern about the kingdom’s human rights abuses.

Djokovic said he didn’t know whether, like Nadal, he would spend more time in Saudi Arabia after his retirement, but he said he was focusing on what he described as the positive aspects there.

“There will always be criticism. You can always focus on good things or bad things,” he said.

“You know, it’s just a matter of perspective, like everything in life.”

RCB/DJ