Novak Djokovic implored long-time adversary Rafael Nadal to place off his deliberate retirement after defeating the Spaniard Saturday in what was more likely to be the ultimate chapter of their “wonderful rivalry”.
“Do not go away tennis, man,” Djokovic stated in an on-court interview after beating Nadal in straight units 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) on the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
He added that their battles over time had been “very intense” and informed Nadal he hoped they might sooner or later “sit on a seaside someplace” and have a drink.
Nadal, 38, introduced on October 10 that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga subsequent month.
Organisers of the Saudi occasion billed Saturday’s match as maybe Nadal’s final singles contest as knowledgeable.
Nadal stated Thursday he was not sure whether or not he can be match sufficient to play singles in Malaga.
Djokovic and Nadal –- two of the game’s famed “Huge Three” together with Roger Federer –- had confronted one another 60 instances on the principle tour previous to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic holding a slim 31-29 edge.
Their final encounter got here through the Paris Olympics on the identical Roland Garros courts the place Nadal received 14 French Open titles, although Djokovic triumphed simply 6-1, 6-4.
Djokovic has racked up 24 Grand Slam titles in his profession, two greater than Nadal.
Saturday’s match was largely one-sided, with Nadal spraying errors and Djokovic wrapping up the primary set in simply 31 minutes.
Feeding off the help of the partisan crowd who overtly cheered Djokovic’s double-faults, Nadal rallied to push the second set to a tie-break, reeling off winners and even treating followers to at least one final iconic fist pump earlier than succumbing to Djokovic.
“It is nice to see him nonetheless preventing though he is had accidents and struggles,” Djokovic, 37, informed a post-match press convention.
It was “a really emotional day, special occasion” as a result of it was the “final time I play my largest rival, Nadal,” he added.
“I’ve witnessed Andy Murray retiring this 12 months, Roger (Federer) a number of years in the past as effectively. And now Rafa, you recognize. It is robust in a roundabout way to see them go, as a result of all of my profession, mainly, I’ve performed with them.”
After being offered with a golden tennis racket, Nadal in flip thanked Djokovic for the “wonderful rivalry” and “for all of the moments that we shared on courtroom”.
– Sinner downs Alcaraz –
Within the exhibition last on Saturday, Australian Open and US Open winner Jannik Sinner outlasted French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, avenging his loss in Beijing earlier this month.
“I get up within the morning making an attempt to grasp the methods the best way to beat him,” Sinner stated in an on-court interview after profitable the match 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, including that he hoped their rivalry would final “so long as attainable”.
Alcaraz has a 6-4 edge in head-to-head tour contests.
Saudi Arabia’s push into tennis took off final 12 months with its first ATP Tour occasion –- the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah –- and exhibition matches pitting Djokovic towards Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka towards Ons Jabeur.
The Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation (WTA) introduced in April that Riyadh would host the subsequent three editions of the Tour Finals, that includes the highest eight singles gamers and doubles groups.
The 2024 showpiece shall be staged from November 2-9.
Earlier this 12 months, Nadal was named ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
The tennis world’s embrace of Saudi Arabia has drawn some criticism, notably from greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova who’ve voiced concern in regards to the kingdom’s report of human rights abuses.
Djokovic stated he didn’t know if he, like Nadal, would spend extra time in Saudi Arabia post-retirement however he stated he was focussing on what he described because the positives there.
“There’s all the time going to be criticism. You may all the time deal with good issues or dangerous issues,” he stated.
“You already know, it simply relies on the angle, like something in life.”
