Ahead of the last duel between the legends: A look back at the first meeting between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet for the last time at the Six Kings Flags exhibition tournament. Both tennis icons lost their respective debuts in the tournament and will take to the court to play for third place in the event. With 60 matches played against each other, the Serb and the Spaniard were the absolute leaders of world tennis for almost 20 years and with Rafa's announcement of his imminent retirement, the last battle in Riyadh will undoubtedly be a special showdown.

The first meeting between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as professionals took place on May 28, 2006, in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros. This match marked the beginning of one of the most emblematic rivalries in the history of tennis.

Nadal, then a 19-year-old Spanish tennis player who had moved from promise to reality, was already known for his prowess on clay, while Djokovic, also 19, was showing his first signs that he was on his way to big things.

In this match, Nadal won with a score of 6-4 and 6-4, when the Serbian was forced to retire due to back pain.

The match lasted 114 minutes and was a clear reflection of Nadal's aggressive and tenacious style on his favorite surface. Despite the defeat, Djokovic showed flashes of his potential, although it would take him another year to consolidate himself as an undisputed figure on the circuit.

From this first clash, Nadal and Djokovic have met on numerous occasions, accumulating a total of 60 matches between them. The rivalry has evolved over time; while Nadal dominated the first part of their encounters, Djokovic took the lead in later years.

Their last official confrontation was at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the lack of continuity of the Spaniard was noticed due to physical problems that have deprived him of closing his career playing more tournaments. Djokovic won 6-1, 6-4, on his way to becoming Olympic champion.

Both stars will take the court for the last time tomorrow in a clash that will mark the end of a golden era for tennis, where the Big 3 of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer dominated tennis achieving incredible milestones, unthinkable before the existence of these three legendary players.