Novak Djokovic implored long-time rival Rafael Nadal to put off his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard on Saturday in what was likely to be the final chapter of their storied rivalry.
“Don’t leave tennis, man,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview after beating Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
He added that their battles over the years had been “very intense” and told Nadal he hoped they could one day “sit on a beach somewhere” and have a drink.
Nadal, 38, announced on 10 October that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.
Organisers of the Saudi event billed Saturday’s match as perhaps Nadal’s last singles contest as a professional.
Nadal said on Thursday he was unsure whether he would be fit enough to play singles in Malaga.
Djokovic and Nadal –- two of the sport’s famed “Big Three” along with Roger Federer –- had faced each other 60 times on the main tour prior to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic holding a narrow 31-29 edge.
Their last encounter came during the Paris Olympics on the same Roland Garros courts where Nadal won 14 French Open titles, though Djokovic triumphed easily 6-1, 6-4.
Saturday’s match was also mostly one-sided, with Nadal spraying errors and Djokovic wrapping up the first set in just 31 minutes.
Feeding off the support of the partisan crowd who openly cheered Djokovic’s double-faults, Nadal rallied to push the second set to a tie-break, reeling off winners and even treating fans to one last iconic fist pump before succumbing to Djokovic’s relentless serving.
“It’s great to see him still fighting even though he’s had injuries and struggles,” Djokovic, 37, told a post-match press conference.
It was “a very emotional day, a special day” because it was the “last time I played my biggest rival, Nadal,” he added.
“I’ve witnessed Andy Murray retiring this year at Wimbledon, Roger (Federer) a few years ago as well. And now Rafa, you know. It’s tough in some ways to see them go, because all of my career, basically, I’ve played with them.”
After being presented with a golden tennis racket, Nadal in turn thanked Djokovic for the “amazing rivalry” and “for all the moments that we shared on court”.
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