Within the Six Kings Slam exhibition ultimate on Saturday, Australian Open and US Open winner Jannik Sinner outlasted French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, avenging his loss in Beijing earlier this month.
“I get up within the morning making an attempt to know the methods how one can beat him,” Sinner mentioned in an on-court interview after successful the match 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, including that he hoped their rivalry would final “so long as potential”.
Alcaraz has a 6-4 edge in head-to-head tour contests.
Saudi Arabia’s push into tennis took off final 12 months with its first ATP Tour occasion –- the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah –- and exhibition matches pitting Djokovic towards Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka towards Ons Jabeur.
The Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation (WTA) introduced in April that Riyadh would host the subsequent three editions of the Tour Finals, that includes the highest eight singles gamers and doubles groups.
The 2024 showpiece will probably be staged from November 2-9.
Earlier this 12 months, Nadal was named ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
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The tennis world’s embrace of Saudi Arabia has drawn some criticism, notably from greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova who’ve voiced concern concerning the kingdom’s file of human rights abuses.
Djokovic mentioned he didn’t know if he, like Nadal, would spend extra time in Saudi Arabia post-retirement however he mentioned he was focussing on what he described because the positives there.
“There’s at all times going to be criticism. You possibly can at all times concentrate on good issues or unhealthy issues,” he mentioned.
“You recognize, it simply will depend on the attitude, like something in life.