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Players, both past and present, pay tribute to Rafael Nadal’s extraordinary career, and share some of their most memorable moments with him on the tour
Novak Djokovic urged his longtime rival, Rafael Nadal, to delay his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard on Saturday in what is likely to be the final chapter of their storied rivalry.
“Don’t leave tennis, man,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview after beating Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
Nadal, 38, announced on 10 October that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.
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Organisers of the Saudi event billed Saturday’s match as possibly Nadal’s last singles contest as a professional.
Nadal said on Thursday he was unsure whether he would be fit enough to play singles in Malaga.
Djokovic and Nadal — two of the sport’s famed “Big Three” alongside Roger Federer — had faced each other 60 times on the main tour prior to Saturday’s exhibition match, with Djokovic holding a narrow 31-29 lead.
Their last encounter took place during the Paris Olympics on the same Roland Garros courts where Nadal won 14 French Open titles, although Djokovic triumphed easily 6-1, 6-4
