Preview Third Place Match Six Kings Slam: Djokovic and Nadal set for final career meeting

With the announcement of Rafael Nadal’s retirement, the final showdown against Novak Djokovic will be a luxury clash, marking the last encounter between the two greatest Grand Slam champions in history. This time, both are coming off semifinal defeats and will compete for third place in the 61st episode of the most repeated rivalry in history.

With 60 official encounters, no other match has been played as often on the Tour. This time, it won't be at a Grand Slam like many of their previous meetings, but rather at an exhibition—the last for Rafa Nadal while he remains an active player.

The current state of both players is vastly different. Nadal has barely competed in the past two years, and although it was hoped that he could achieve good results in 2024, especially during the clay swing, new injuries have complicated things for the 22-time Grand Slam champion, leading him to announce his retirement at the Davis Cup Finals, where Spain is in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, Djokovic remains at the top level as world No. 4, despite an irregular season, at least by his standards. For the first time since 2017, he didn’t win any Grand Slam titles and lost ground to the new Tour leaders, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who each won two.

However, Djokovic secured the gold medal at the Olympic Games, a goal he had pursued throughout his career, finally achieving it at age 37. On his way, he defeated Nadal in the second round. Nole also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and the final at Wimbledon, with losses to Sinner and Alcaraz, respectively.

The most repeated duel of the Open Era with 60 matches between 2006 and 2024, where Nole will end up leading 31-29. Djokovic also leads 15-13 in finals of all levels, while Nadal holds an 11-7 record in majors (5-4 in major finals). Their first encounter was in the 2006 French Open quarterfinals, where an injury forced the Serb to retire mid-third set.

In Grand Slam tournaments, Djokovic leads the head-to-head at the Australian Open (2-0) and Wimbledon (2-1), while Nadal dominates at Roland Garros (8-2) and the US Open (2-1).

Though Nadal won 14 of the first 20 matches, Djokovic began to close the gap from 2011 onward, one of the greatest seasons in tennis history. However, Nadal's dominance on clay courts allowed the rivalry to reach a 30-29 score with their quarterfinal match at the 2022 French Open. Two years later, in a vastly different context, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the second round of the Olympic Games, with added significance as the match was played at Roland Garros stadium.

The final match between them will take place at the Six Kings Slam and promises an electric atmosphere beyond the result. A last battle for the fans, as Nadal only has the Davis Cup ahead, while Djokovic's Serbia did not qualify among the top eight, making it impossible for another matchup later in the year.