Novak Djokovic urged longtime adversary Rafael Nadal to postpone his retirement after defeating the Spaniard on Saturday in what appeared to be the final chapter of their famous rivalry.
“Don’t leave tennis, man,” Djokovic remarked in an on-court interview after defeating Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) in the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
Nadal, 38, declared on October 10 that he will retire from tennis following the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.
The Saudi event’s organizers said Saturday’s match may be Nadal’s final singles contest as a professional.
Nadal stated Thursday he wasn’t sure if he’d be fit enough to play singles in Malaga.
Djokovic and Nadal, two of the sport’s legendary “Big Three” along with Roger Federer, had met 60 times on the main tour before to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic leading 31-29.
Their most recent meeting took place during the Paris Olympics on the same Roland Garros courts where Nadal won 14 French Open titles, but Djokovic easily defeated him 6-1, 6-4.
On Saturday, Djokovic, 37, claimed the rivalry had been “very intense” and told Nadal that he hoped they could one day “sit on a beach somewhere” and drink.
Nadal, who received a platinum tennis racket after the victory, thanked Djokovic for the “amazing rivalry” and “for all the moments that we shared on the court.”
After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in his first match at the Saudi exhibition on Thursday, Nadal admitted his fitness level was far from that of the tour’s elite players.
French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz was slated to play on Australian Open and US Open winner Jannik Sinner in the “Six Kings Slam” final later Saturday.
Saudi Arabia’s tennis campaign began last year with its inaugural ATP Tour tournament, the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, as well as exhibition matches between Djokovic and Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced in April that Riyadh would host the next three Tour Finals, which would include the top eight singles players and doubles teams.
The 2024 edition will be held from November 2 to 9.
