Rafael Nadal opens up on his rivalry with Novak Djokovic ahead of Six Kings Slam

Rafael Nadal is in Saudi Arabia for the inaugural season of the high-profile ‘Six Kings Slam’. The non-ATP exhibition event will put six of the top tennis stars into the contest with a hefty winning prize at stake. Rafael Nadal who announced his retirement from tennis on October 10 will feature in the exhibition game before he plays the ultimate professional event of his career at the Davis Cup finals for Spain next month. Nadal will compete against his long-time rival Novak Djokovic and the rising stars, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner. Moreover, the event features Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. With the event slated to commence on Wednesday, Nadal opened up about his camaraderie with Novak Djokovic. 

Rafael Nadal ready for the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia

The Six Kings Slam is an exhibition tournament featuring six top players from the ATP circuit. While it follows a format similar to traditional tournaments, it isn’t part of the ATP Tour and doesn’t offer ranking points. The event is solely for prize money, with substantial financial rewards for the participants and the winner. Saudi Arabia extended invitations to current Grand Slam champions for this unique event, including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner.

Holger Rune, who has yet to win a Grand Slam, is the only non-major winner in the lineup. The tournament will take place from October 16 to October 19, but as per ATP rules, players cannot compete for three consecutive days. Therefore, the Six Kings Slam includes a rest day on Friday, October 18. The format starts at the quarter-final stage with two head-to-head matches. Notably, both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been given a bye into the semi-finals and are positioned on opposite sides of the draw.

The tournament will also include a third-place play-off for the losing semi-finalists, though there are no prize distinctions for this position. Saudi Arabia has put forth an unprecedented prize fund for this event. Every participant is guaranteed a massive $1.5 million just for playing, while the overall winner will take home an additional $6 million, marking the largest prize money in tennis history. For comparison, Jannik Sinner earned $2.1 million for his Australian Open win and $3.6 million for triumphing at the US Open, while Alcaraz took home $2.6 million for his French Open victory and $3.4 million for Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal opens up on his bond with rival Novak Djokovic

Together, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic brought the golden era in the sport with the trio collectively claiming 66 Grand Slams. However, the ‘Big 3’ is swiftly approaching its conclusion with Rafael Nadal announcing his retirement. Nadal’s arch-rival, Roger Federer concluded his legendary career in 2022, marking the 2022 Laver Cup as his last professional assignment. Now, Nadal will put the full stop on his adorned career at the Davis Cup Finals. As Nadal gets in the groove for the Six Kings Slam event, the Spaniard opened up on his rivalry with Federer and Djokovic. While the “King of Clay” vs “King of Grass” is regarded as one of the best Tennis rivalries, Nadal holds his contest with Novak Djokovic in high regard.

"Of course, with Roger Federer has been special, but with Novak too, I have a good relationship. It's the way that you approach the sport I think. That's possible because in the end, that's possible because, as I said before, we understand that that's all you get. In life, we have many more important things outside of tennis," Nadal said.

"At the end of the day, if you have a good relationship with the colleagues, with the people who are next to you or with the people in general, without a doubt in my experience, you will be happier. So at the end tennis is only a game, relationships go beyond that," he added.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have clashed against each other 60 times and Nadal has claimed 29 wins against the Serbian. The duo last clashed at the 2024 Paris Olympics where Djokovic pushed Nadal out of the contest in the second round. Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, won the 2022 French Open, his last Grand Slam title, by beating Djokovic. With both Djokovic and Nadal receiving byes at the Six Kings Slam, the duo can face each other one last time if both of them manage to win their respective semi-final matches.