He retired Roger Federer in 2022, it will Rafael Nadal in November and they both left Novak Djokovic as the last exponent of ‘Big Three’the era that brought together the three best tennis players in history with an apotheotic distribution of world titles. grand slam between the Serbian (24 so far), the Spanish (22) and the Swiss (20). The three fed each other to get better and better and long ago they broke the previous American record of 14. Pete Sampras.
Djokovic, 37 years old and world No. 4, is still in top form, troubling the new guard led by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinnerthe first two current rackets, there are already four and two ‘greats’ at 21 and 23 years old, respectively, both are already engaged in another new and exciting rivalry.
The greatest event in the world of tennis experienced its final chapter this Saturday and, today, the end of an era has definitely come to an end. Djokovic defeated Nadal -6-2, 7-6 (5)- in a late and nostalgic duel in the match for third place in Six Kings Slamthe exhibition of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) which closed the greatest rivalry in the history of tennis in the face of the imminent retirement of the Spanish player: 60 official matches and almost total equality, 31 victories for the Serbian and 29 for Manacorí.
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Without competing since then Olympic Games in ParisRafa, who has been battling injuries for the past two years, is focused on preparing and getting in the best shape for F8 of Malaga Davis Cup (November 19-24), where he will definitely hang up his racket.
With that sporting thought he reached Riyadh and would leave Arabia with good feelings, taking another step towards the most honorable farewell possible. Too many Carlos Alcaraz (double 6-3 in semi-finals) as Djokovic They already have a higher level and performance and, without the consistency of the past, Nadal’s arrogance and flashes of quality are not enough to worry them more than necessary.
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His goal was not to beat them, a bar that was now too high for his punished body, but to continue his preparation without suffering any physical setback: yes, goal accomplished.
Even as ‘Nole’ dominated the stage the whole time, Rafa rolled like a cat on his belly and hit some of those ‘trademark’ punches that sent the audience into a frenzy and spurred to Nadal to keep fighting.
With his renowned fighting skills, at 5-4 in the second set he held up a match-ball when Djokovic served to close out the match and force a tiebreak. That’s where this surely unforgettable era ended, with a forehand crashing into the net, with Rafa and Novak joining seconds later in an embrace that will go down in memory and legend.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
