After having faced each other in a record 60 contests, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are set to fight it out one last time on Saturday at the 6 Kings Slam. While Djokovic has won against the Spaniard 31 times, Rafa isn’t much behind with 29 wins against the Serb. However, a disturbing image of Djokovic from his previous encounter against Jannik Sinner is now giving an idea if Rafa is going to enjoy an upper hand in this last contest.
While the emotions of both players and fans are going to be quite high for this epic showdown, it seems the Serb’s injury can be a barrier to him coming down with full force.
During his semi-final contest against Sinner on Thursday, Djokovic was seen struggling with pain in his shoulder. The pain was a major reason why the Serb couldn’t pull off effective serves and lost the match.
Thus, this can prove as a challenge for him in his third-place clash against Nadal.
Djokovic also seems to be having some shoulder/arm discomfort pic.twitter.com/ii7l2bVIVj
— Olly (@Olly_Tennis_) October 17, 2024
Though Rafa has been struggling with his age and fitness for the last two years, which also impacted his performance, he seemed in his element while playing against Alcaraz on Thursday.
Despite his loss, the Spaniard put on a tough fight, suggesting that he is set to give whatever is left in the tank.
Thus with Nadal all pumped up to make his last match outside Spain memorable and Djokovic suffering from some significant discomfort, there are high chances that things might end up in the Spaniard’s favor.
Nadal speaks about rivalry with Djokovic
While speaking about their possible duel at the start of the tournament, which has now come true, Nadal called Djokovic a ‘great rival’. He added that the 24-time Grand Slam champion always pushed him to play better and to his maximum level.
“We have faced each other many times in our careers; we don’t need to play again (laughs). For me, competing against Novak was always a challenge. He is a great rival who has always pushed me to the maximum level, taken me to the limit,” Nadal said in an interview with DAZN.
Undoubtedly, the clash is for the history books as it could very well end up being one of the most watched matches in the history of tennis.
No tennis fan would like to miss the opportunity to see the remaining two of the Big Three playing each other for one last time. The match will be live-streamed on Twitter on the Riyadh Season page and the DAZN website and app for US fans at 12:30 pm EST on Saturday.
