Rafael Nadal made an entertaining appearance at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia but lost out to Novak Djokovic in their final ever match.
Battling valiantly against his compatriot and protégé Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal produced glimpses of his true game at the inaugural Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia.
Despite playing his part in a tie that was not as one-sided as some expected, Nadal still failed to get past his younger countryman.
In the third place playoff, a final instalment of one of sports greatest rivalries took place as Novak Djokovic took on the Spaniard.
Coincidentally, Nadal’s most recent singles match also came against his great rival at the Paris Olympics, with that match – their 60th ATP encounter – falling Djokovic’s way.
With Nadal announcing his upcoming retirement this month, he has speculated over when Djokovic might join him.
Rafael Nadal predicts Novak Djokovic career and retirement plans
The pair faced off in all four major finals, with Djokovic ultimately stealing their overall head-to-head by 31 to 29.
In an era defined by the ‘Big Four’, Djokovic is the last man standing with Roger Federer and Andy Murray already having hung up the racquet.
Having won the Olympics this year – an achievement that eluded him for so long – but no Grand Slam titles, many have wondered how long the suburb still has on the professional circuit.
Speculating over his great friend’s potential career plans, Nadal told AS: “As for Djokovic, I don’t know. I think it’s human that Novak, even if he’s still healthy, is at an age and it’s logical that the clock takes its toll on all of us and that, once Federer has gone, once I’m gone, since in the end we’ve been his two great rivals, at some point he also has a small mental breakdown and will find a reason to step aside.
“That’s what happens to everyone. And Novak is good enough to, if he’s healthy, continue to be competitive at the highest level and aspire to win the most important tournaments. And if he continues to be happy doing what he does, he’ll keep it up.
“If at some point, everything he has to do to have a chance of continuing to be at the top level is no longer worth it, then he will step aside, that’s what I think.”
