Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal end ‘amazing rivalry’ with likely final meeting of tennis GOATs

The great rivals contested a record 60 competitive clashes during their careers, with the Serb leading 31-29, but there will be no more

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Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal meet at the net at the end of what was likely their final ever meeting. Photo: Xinhua

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Published: 11:07am, 20 Oct 2024Updated: 11:20am, 20 Oct 2024

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 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.

Novak Djokovic (left) and Rafa Nadal with the third and fourth place trophies at the Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh. Photo: EPA

“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.”