“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. Nadal, 38, announced on 10 October 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 possibly Nadal’s last singles contest as a professional. Djokovic and Nadal — two of the sport’s famed “Big Three” alongside Roger Federer — had faced each other 60 times on the main tour prior to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic holding a narrow 31-29 lead. The Women’s Tennis Association announced in April that Riyadh would host the next three editions of the Tour Finals, featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams.

Source: Punch October 20, 2024 00:19 UTC