DON'T LEAVE: DJOKOVIC TO NADAL

Serb hails the retiring Spaniard as 'biggest rival' after emotional last clash in Saudi

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RIYADH – Novak Djokovic implored long-time adversary Rafael Nadal to put off his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard on Oct 19 in what was likely to be the final chapter of their “amazing 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 event 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 announced on Oct 10 that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November. The Saudi event organisers billed the Oct 19 match as perhaps the 38-year-old’s last singles contest as a professional.

Nadal said on Oct 17 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 ATP Tour before the Oct 19 match, with Djokovic holding a narrow 31-29 edge.

Their previous 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.