Serbian Novak Djokovic defeated Spaniard Rafael Nadal 6:2, 7:6 (5) in the match for third place at the “Six Kings of the Slam” tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Djokovic started with a break in the first game of the first set, then consolidated it for 2-0. He maintained his lead effortlessly, once again taking the Spaniard’s serve in the seventh game for 5-2 before closing out the first set on his own serve.
The second part was much more contested, although it started again with a Djokovic break, which was immediately returned by Nadal. The Serbian broke again for 5:4, and the Spaniard made a new rib-break – 5:5. This led to a tiebreak in which the score was 5:5, but the last two points went to Djokovic, who won the match and third place.
After the match, Rafael Nadal was presented with a golden racket by the organizers of the million-dollar tournament. “I want to thank everyone, it was an amazing day. It was a great rivalry with Djokovic over the years. I thank him for his words. He helped me push my limits for almost 15 years. Without him, I would not be the player I have become. Congratulations to him and his team all the titles. I wish you all the luck for the future,” Nadal said after the match, addressing Djokovic.
“I hope we will have the opportunity to sit together on the beach over a glass and reflect on life and talk about everything,” Djokovic paid tribute to the Spanish legend, who retires next month after the Davis Cup final.
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