"I'll cherish our rivalry forever" - Novak Djokovic sends farewell message to Rafael Nadal following 'epic' final encounter at Six Kings Slam

As Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced each other for the last time in their careers at the Six Kings Slam, the atmosphere was filled with mixed emotions. After the match, Djokovic stated that he would cherish their rivalry forever.

On October 10, Nadal announced retiring after representing Spain at the 2024 Davis Cup.

The Six Kings Slam began on Wednesday, October 16, with the finals taking place on Saturday, October 19, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alongside Djokovic and Nadal, the inaugural edition of the exibition tournament featured Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.

In their third-place clash on Saturday, the World No.4 defeated Nadal 6-2, 7-6(7-5). Following the match, the Serb posted a farewell message to Nadal on X (formerly Twitter), describing their final encounter as epic and reiterating that he would cherish their rivalry forever.

“The last dance was an epic one. And of course emotional. I’ll cherish our rivalry forever, @rafaelnadal 👑. Tennis will miss you. As-salamu alaykum, Riyadh. #SixKingsSlam is a special tournament. See you soon 🙏🏼” the Serb said.

With the Six Kings Slam now concluded, the 37-year-old has not yet confirmed whether he will be defending his title at the Paris Masters. As for Rafael Nadal, his next appearance will be at the Davis Cup, which begins on November 19. He will be aiming to help Spain win the title for the seventh time since the tournament's inception.

Rafael Nadal thanks Novak Djokovic after Six Kings Slam third place match - “You helped me to go over my limits”

Following their third-place clash on Saturday at the Six Kings Slam, the Spaniard told the press in a bittersweet atmosphere that Novak Djokovic had pushed him to exceed his limits.

"Thank you very much for all of the moments we shared on court during all of our careers - we have had an amazing rivalry, You helped me to go over my limits so thank you for that, because without that, I would probably not be the player that I am today. What I will miss is almost everything, It has been a dream come true to have been able to play for almost 20 years, being competitive and having the chance to play at the best places in the world,” Nadal said

Since their first meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2006 French Open, Djokovic and Nadal have faced each other 59 more times on the ATP Tour, with the 37-year-old winning 31 of those encounters. Their most recent clash occurred in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the Serb emerged victorious and went on to clinch the gold medal.