Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will meet on the tennis court for one last time in their third-place match at the 2024 Six Kings Slam.
The two shared a great rivalry over the years, one that generated the most matches in the history of the ATP Tour. But every rivalry comes to an end, and this will be the last chapter of arguably the greatest men's tennis rivalry of all time.
It's fitting that after Nadal's retirement announcement, the two got a chance to meet one more time, even though it will be only in an exhibition match at the 2024 Six Kings Slam, held during the Riyadh Season.
Both received a bye into the semi-final round, but both lost those matches. Djokovic was overpowered by Jannik Sinner, while Nadal lost to compatriot Alcaraz. That means that while the two youngsters will meet in the final, the two veterans will battle it out for third place.
Speaking after his loss to Alcaraz, Nadal admitted that having a chance to play against his Serbian rival one last time brings a sense of nostalgia.
"To have Novak in front [of me], it's like a nostalgic thing. We've played each other a lot, so it'll be fun to play each other again one more time in this match. Hopefully, we can create a good show and a good level of entertainment."
The two met a total of 60 times, the most of any other duo on the ATP Tour. There isn't much to be said about the H2H, as it's as close as it possibly could be for two players who played 60 matches.
Djokovic has a slight edge, as he leads the H2H 31-29, and he also won the last match that they played, which came at this year's Paris Olympics.
| Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | H2H | 29 |
| 4 | Rank | 153 |
| 37 | Age | 38 |
| 37-9 | 2024 W/L | 12-7 |
| 1124-222 | Career W/L | 1080-227 |
Technically, it will be a match for 'nothing.' Of course, there will be money involved, but in reality, it's a relatively meaningless third-round match, which is never played in tennis apart from the Olympics, in an exhibition tournament.
Although there is money involved, both have earned hundreds of millions of dollars throughout their careers, both on and off the court, so that could also be dismissed as a motivation factor.
However, there is one huge factor that will motivate both more than any trophy or financial incentive. The rivalry. Their desire to win, as professional athletes, is incredible, but when they stand opposite to each other on the tennis court, it multiplies infinitely.
Djokovic and Nadal are great rivals, and they likely wouldn't be as successful as they were in their careers if there wasn't the other one. That will also likely motivate both to win this match, which will be their last-ever meeting.
Although Nadal will certainly do his best to win, Djokovic has just shown a much higher level in recent weeks. Still, it doesn't mean that the Spaniard couldn't stun his rival, but it remains very unlikely.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in two sets.