Washington, Oct 21: Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 for the championship in the Six Kings Slam exhibition Saturday after Novak Djokovic topped Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third-place match.While Sinner and Alcaraz probably have plenty of future matchups in store, Djokovic and Nadal may have been playing for the final time in one of tennis’ great rivalries.
Djokovic won the match between rivals who have combined for 46 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal, who won 22 Slam titles, is planning to retire after playing for Spain next month in the Davis Cup.
They shared a warm embrace at the net after Djokovic’s victory. He also beat Nadal in the Olympics and had a 31-29 lead in their head-to-head.
The last dance was an epic one, Djokovic wrote on social media. And of course emotional. I’ll cherish our rivalry forever, (at)rafaelnadal. Tennis will miss you.
Sinner then emerged with a victory over Alcaraz in a matchup between the winners of all four major titles this season. The top-ranked Sinner, who had lost all three meetings this season, collected $6 million for the win.