RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 for the championship within the Six Kings Slam exhibition Saturday after Novak Djokovic topped Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (5) within the third-place match.
Whereas Sinner and Alcaraz most likely have loads of future matchups in retailer, Djokovic and Nadal might have been enjoying for the ultimate time in certainly one of tennis’ nice rivalries.
Djokovic received the match between rivals who’ve mixed for 46 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal, who received 22 Slam titles, is planning to retire after enjoying for Spain subsequent month within the Davis Cup.
They shared a heat embrace on the web after Djokovic’s victory. He additionally beat Nadal within the Olympics and had a 31-29 lead of their head-to-head.
“The final dance was an epic one,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “And naturally emotional. I will cherish our rivalry ceaselessly, (Rafael Nadal). Tennis will miss you.”
Sinner then emerged with a victory over Alcaraz in a matchup between the winners of all 4 main titles this season. The highest-ranked Sinner, who had misplaced all three conferences this season, collected $6 million for the win.
“Till now, each match was very, superb, however we’ll all the time hope this rivalry will final so long as doable,” Sinner mentioned.
Alcaraz beat the Italian on Oct. 2 to win the China Open in Beijing, together with semifinal victories on the French Open and Indian Wells. The Spaniard has a 6-4 lead of their head-to-head matches on tour.
“I’ll attempt to do my finest daily … to hopefully make this rivalry higher and higher over time,” Alcaraz mentioned.
Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Sinner topped Djokovic within the earlier spherical of the exhibition occasion that awards cash however not ATP rating factors in Saudi Arabia’s newest foray into tennis.