Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic Live Updates, Six Kings Slam 2024

Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live blog for the Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic match in Six Kings Slam 2024.

Tennis fans are in for a treat this Saturday evening as two of the sport’s biggest stars, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic face off one last time. This match will take place at the Six Kings Slam 2024 in Saudi Arabia bringing the end of one of tennis’s greatest rivalries.

Nadal and Djokovic are true legends of the game with an incredible 46 Grand Slam singles titles between them. But at this event, they’re playing for third place, not the championship. Why? Because they both lost to younger players earlier in the tournament.

Nadal, who recently announced he’ll be retiring after the Davis Cup Finals lost to his fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic put up a good fight but eventually lost to Jannik Sinner. Here’s all you need to know about the match.

Match details

Tournament: Six Kings Slam

Round: Third Place match

Date: 19th October

Venue: Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Surface: Hard Court

Preview

Djokovic lost in three sets to young Italian Jannik Sinner, while Nadal fell in a straight set to Carlos Alcaraz. They had more or less been rivals for nearly 20 years, a year-by-year faceoff from 2006 through 2022 and again in 2024. The two have contested all four Grand Slam finals, though Nadal leads 5-4 in major finals. Djokovic won their last meeting at Paris Olympics 2024, on Nadal’s preferred clay court.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal head-to-head record

Pretty much, both players had a disastrous 2024. Nadal was injured throughout the year, so he missed several tournaments and even announced his retirement. Djokovic won Olympic gold but miserably failed in Grand Slams after retiring early at US Open.

For the records, this is not counted in an official capacity but will provide the public with their last bites into the great encounter that Nadal and Djokovic have had all these years. This match might be perhaps Nadal’s last match, with the Spaniard set to retire at the Davis Cup.

Form

• Nadal: W-W-L-W-L
• Djokovic: W-W-W-W-L

Head-to-head record

Matches: 60

Rafael Nadal: 29

Novak Djokovic: 31

Stats

Rafael Nadal

• Nadal has won 82.6% of matches over his career
• Nadal has won three of his last five matches
• Nadal has won two out of last three matches on hard court.

Novak Djokovic

• Djokovic has won 83.6% matches over his career.
• Djokovic has won four of its last five matches.
• Djokovic has won fifteen of its last twenty matches.

Match Prediction

Djokovic stands a good chance of winning against Nadal in the following match that they are scheduled to play. Djokovic has done much better in recent matches where he’s won four out of his last five, with his only defeat coming against Sinner at the Shanghai Masters final.

On the other hand, Rafael Nadal hasn’t been lucky as he has lost three of his last five matches. The two players have met each other 60 times and Djokovic has an edge of 31-29; although on hard courts, it’s significantly higher with Djokovic leading 16-5.

Also Read: Top five tennis players who admire Rafael Nadal as the greatest athlete

While Nadal continues to struggle with injuries and seems, on the whole, on the brink of retirement, it’s actually the other way around for Djokovic: statistically he’s favourably positioned with a higher percentage of wins this year (~65% to Nadal’s <50%) and a narrowly better career win percentage on hard courts: 84% v. 78%.

Considering these things and Djokovic’ s domination over Nadal of late in their previous encounter at the 2024 Olympics. Djokovic possesses amazing hard-court skills. With Nadal having given way to his former, better physique, it almost becomes a given that the Serb will utterly dominate the exhibition match.

Result: Novak Djokovic to win in three sets

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