Novak Djokovic urged Spanish nice Rafael Nadal to delay his retirement after defeating him in an exhibition match on Saturday, probably marking the ultimate tie of their storied rivalry.
“Don’t leave tennis, man,” Djokovic stated in an on-court interview after beating Nadal in straight units 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) on the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
He added that their battles through the years had been “very intense” and informed Nadal he hoped they might sooner or later “sit on a beach somewhere” and have a drink.
Nadal, 38, introduced on Oct. 10 that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga subsequent month.
Organizers of the Saudi occasion billed Saturday’s match as maybe Nadal’s final singles contest as an expert.
Nadal stated Thursday he was not sure whether or not he could be match sufficient to play singles in Malaga.
Djokovic and Nadal – two of the game’s famed “Big Three” together with Roger Federer – had confronted one another 60 occasions on the principle tour previous to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic holding a slender 31-29 edge.
Their final encounter got here in the course of the Paris Olympics on the identical Roland Garros courts the place Nadal gained 14 French Open titles, although Djokovic triumphed simply 6-1, 6-4.
Djokovic has racked up 24 Grand Slam titles in his profession, two greater than Nadal.
Saturday’s match was largely one-sided, with Nadal spraying errors and Djokovic wrapping up the primary set in simply 31 minutes.
Feeding off the help of the partisan crowd who overtly cheered Djokovic’s double-faults, Nadal rallied to push the second set to a tie-break, reeling off winners and even treating followers to at least one final iconic fist pump earlier than succumbing to Djokovic.
“It’s great to see him still fighting even though he’s had injuries and struggles,” Djokovic, 37, informed a post-match press convention.
It was “a very emotional day, special day” as a result of it was the “last time I play my biggest rival, Nadal,” he added.
“I’ve witnessed Andy Murray retiring this year, Roger (Federer) a few years ago as well. And now Rafa, you know. It’s tough in some way to see them go, because all of my career, basically, I’ve played with them.”
After being offered with a golden tennis racket, Nadal in flip thanked Djokovic for the “amazing rivalry” and “for all the moments that we shared on court.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com