Rafael Nadal receives incredible gift from authorities during Six Kings Slam

Former world number one Rafael Nadal was handed an incredible gift by authorities in Saudi Arabia as he played his last fixture against Novak Djokovic in the Six Kings Slam. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal, who has already announced that he will retire from professional tennis after the Davis cup later this year because of consistent fitness struggles, faced Djokovic for the last time in the third-place encounter during the Six Kings Slam on Saturday, where Serbia’s legendary tennis star came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-6.

After the match, Nadal received an incredible gift from the authorities in Saudi Arabia as he was handed a solid gold racket. After that match, Djokovic praised Nadal's impact and thanked him for whatever he has done for tennis in general. The Belgrade-born star also went on to express his desire and asked Nadal to continue playing for a little longer.

“It has been a dream come true to be able to play for almost 20 years being competitive and having the chance to play in the best places in the world,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for you: incredible athlete, incredible person. The rivalry has been incredible and has been very intense, so I hope that we’ll have a chance to maybe sit on the beach somewhere and maybe have a little drink and reflect on life, talking about something else. I will finish with one big thank you, from not just me, but all of the tennis world for what you have done. You left an incredible legacy and we really appreciate it. Don’t leave tennis man, stay a little bit longer, stay with us.”