Novak Djokovic bid an emotional farewell to Rafael Nadal after the pair’s final singles match in the Six Kings Slam on Saturday evening. The Serb triumphed 6-2 7-6 over his long-time rival, finishing third at the inaugural event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s final.
Djokovic and Nadal have both pocketed at least £1.2million for their involvement ahead of the latter’s retirement after next month’s Davis Cup finals.
And the former offered an outpour of emotion after their final battle, hailing the legacy the Spaniard will leave behind in professional tennis.
“I don’t know where to start. I’ll go back to the very first match that we played against each other, back in 2005, I think it was,” Djokovic explained.
“Who would know that we are standing here almost 20 years later with more than 60 times that we face each other on the biggest stage in this sport?
“I have the utmost respect for you. Incredible athlete, incredible person. You know, the rivalry has been incredible, really, and has been very intense.
“So I hope that we’ll have a chance to maybe sit on the beach somewhere and have a little drink, reflecting on life, talking about something else, you know.
“I would like to congratulate all your team and all your family on an amazing career that Rafa has had; it’s also your success.
“I know how much sacrifice a family has to put into the career and the life of a professional tennis player.
“I can only imagine the highs and lows that you were going through with him.
“So you deserve this success as much as he does. So congratulations. An amazing, amazing career.
“I mean, it’s difficult. I could speak all night, but I don’t want to take away too much time. I think Rafa should speak instead of me.
“But once again, it’s been an incredible honour, as I told you at the net, an incredible pleasure to share the court with you.
“It’s quite an emotional moment, an emotional day. You know, we’ve been, we’ve been playing so many matches over so many years, and don’t leave tennis, man, stay a little bit more. Stay with us!
“I will finish with one big thank you from not just me but all of the tennis world for what you have done. You have left an incredible legacy.”
Djokovic and Nadal received byes to the final four but were beaten by Sinner and Alcaraz, respectively. Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune also tasted defeat against the finalists in the first round.
