Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Six Kings Slam final: Novak Djokovic claims final win over Rafael Nadal as Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic claimed a final win over Rafael Nadal at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh.

The great rivals contested a record 60 competitive clashes during their careers, with Djokovic leading 31-29, but there will be no more after Nadal announced last week he will retire following the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.

Whether he will play singles there remains to be seen, so this 6-2 7-6 (5) defeat may have been a final hurrah for the 38-year-old.

There were some vintage Nadal moments, including several crowd-pleasing forehands down the line, and the Spaniard had a big smile on his face at the end.

Speaking on court to Djokovic, he said: "It has been an amazing rivalry. In a personal way I have to say that you helped me to go over my limits during almost 15 years. So thank you for that because without that probably I will not be the player that I am today.

"It has been a dream come true to be able to play for almost 20 years being competitive and having the chance to play in the best places in the world."

Djokovic said: "I have the utmost respect for you: incredible athlete, incredible person.

Rafael Nadal will retire from tennis after next month’s Davis Cup finals (AFP via Getty Images)

"The rivalry has been incredible and has been very intense, so I hope that we'll have a chance to maybe sit on the beach somewhere and maybe have a little drink and reflect on life, talking about something else.

"I will finish with one big thank you, from not just me, but all of the tennis world for what you have done. You left an incredible legacy and we really appreciate it.

"Don't leave tennis man, stay a little bit longer, stay with us."

In the final, Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 6-3 6-3 to claim the lucrative prize money, believed to be worth around £4.5m.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.