High praise for a colleague who is about to retire… Nadal-Djokovic ‘heartwarming final match’

Men’s tennis star Rafael Nadal (Spain), who is retiring after the Davis Cup next month, had his final match with his ‘rival’ Novak Djokovic (Serbia). Although Nadal lost the match, the two players encouraged each other in a warm atmosphere.

Nadal faced Djokovic in the 3rd-4th place match on the last day of the Six Kings Slam held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 20th (Korean time). The Six Kings Slam tournament, in which Saudi Arabia invited Nadal, Djokovic, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, and No. 14 Holger Rune, required a minimum minimum requirement for participating players. It is an event competition that awards 1.5 million dollars each.

After meeting in the second round of the singles at the Paris Olympics last August, Nadal and Djokovic faced off in a match for the first time in two months. The two have been active as representative stars in the world of tennis for a while, holding the record for most singles wins in major tournaments (Djokovic with 24) and second (Nadal with 22). However, this fight between Nadal, who announced his retirement after the Davis Cup next month, and Djokovic, who is still competing for the world’s top ranking, ended relatively smoothly. After taking the first set 6-2, Djokovic won the second set 7-5, completing a 2-0 set score.

The match ended with Djokovic’s victory, but the two encouraged each other by saying kind words. “It is this great rivalry that has allowed me to push my limits for over 15 years,” Nadal said after the match. “I am grateful to be able to compete with Djokovic,” he said. Djokovic also praised Nadal, saying, “Nadal is a tremendous being, both as a player and as a person,” and added, “I hope I have a chance to sit side by side with Nadal sometime and talk about looking back on my life. “Please don’t leave tennis,” he said.