Novak Djokovic will be one of the protagonists of the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia, the prestigious exhibition tournament in its second edition after the many controversies of last year. The Serbian legend had been defeated by Jannik Sinner in the semifinals in the last edition and chance wanted that the Italian ace will also be his opponent in the semifinal scheduled for today.
The last time Nole beat Jannik was in the final of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, before the 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria overturned the inertia of their rivalry by taking control of the men's tour alongside Spanish ace Carlos Alcaraz.
Despite being 38 years old and no longer in his 'prime', the veteran from Belgrade has repeatedly expressed his desire to continue competing at the highest level with the aim of breaking other records. He is aware that it is increasingly difficult to win another Grand Slam title due to the rise of numerous young talents, but it should not be forgotten that Novak has reached the semifinals in all the Majors played in 2025 and currently occupies third place in the ATP Race.
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Djokovic showed his class
The former world number 1 has not clarified what his schedule will be between now and the end of the season yet, having only confirmed his participation in the Athens ATP 250 scheduled for next month.
On the eve of his clash with Sinner in Riyadh, the 24-time Grand Slam champion explained in detail what drives him to continue playing despite winning everything: I think its all integrated honestly. Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go. And I think if you see across all the global sports, LeBron James is still going strong, hes 40. Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady played until he was 40-something years old.
Its unbelievable. Theyre inspiring me as well. So I want to keep going, and thats one of the motivations I have. I want to be not just part of the change, but I want to be playing when we kind of rejuvenate our sport and set the new platform that is going to go on for decades to come.
