Jannik Sinner is the six million dollar man. The world no.1, beating his rival and friend Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Six Kings Slam, the rich exhibition tournament in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, he won the super prize up for grabs. The South Tyrolean got the better of the Spaniard in three sets (6-7, 6-3, 6-3), managing to recover after the first set lost in the tiebreak and putting the Iberian in difficulty with an always aggressive game.
«First of all I want to start from where Carlos finished speaking, thank you, it was a wonderful experience – said the Italian during the awards ceremony – next year I will definitely be back. It’s a good challenge between us, we wake up in the morning looking for ways to beat each other. The reason we came here is to show you what tennis is. Carlos and I are good friends, we try to have fun. So far our matches have been excellent and we hope our rivalry lasts as long as possible. I thank all the public, the atmosphere was incredible from day one.”
More than a performance, it was a sort of revenge given that in this 2024 Sinner has always emerged defeated in comparisons with the Murcian, the last time, in chronological order, a couple of weeks ago in the final in Beijing. From a rivalry destined to last a long time, that between Sinner and Alcaraz, to the last dance of the longest rivalry in the history of tennis, that between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, won by the Serbian who is third in the Six Kings Slam thanks to the victory in two sets (6-2, 7-6) against the Mallorcan. Far beyond the result, however, the evening in Riyadh had enormous symbolic value. The last act of an infinite story, the 61st match between two players who wrote the history of tennis, winning 46 Slams overall. And once again Djokovic and Nadal put on a show: Nole with clarity in key moments, Rafa with resilience and a warrior’s spirit. The long hug at the net with Djokovic, the closing of a circle opened in 2006 on the red clay of Roland Garros. «You are an incredible athlete and person. Our rivalry has been very intense, I hope we can have a drink on a beach one day. I know how many sacrifices are needed in the career of a great champion. It was a pleasure and an honor to share the field with you. It’s a day, an exciting moment. Don’t leave tennis yet, stay with us”, Djokovic’s words addressed to his lifelong rival who returns the kind words: “I want to say a few words to Novak, thank him for what you said today, for all the moments we shared . You have helped me go beyond my limits for over 15 years – says Nadal – Without you I would not have become the player I am. What will I miss most at the end of my career? Probably everything. It was a dream to have had the chance to play in the biggest stadiums in the world, I received incredible support everywhere. It was a huge privilege to be a tennis player and be surrounded by great people.” Nadal greets Riad with a standing ovation from the audience and a golden racket as big as a game one as a gift (in addition to the rich participation token).