Home
Novak Djokovic’s 2025 Six Kings Slam journey came to an unexpected conclusion on Saturday at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. Facing Taylor Fritz in the third-place playoff, Djokovic retired after a marathon first set, marking his first career loss to the American. The 38-year-old appeared to struggle with injury during the match, which saw the opening set extend to a grueling 75 minutes.
“Not great, want to apologize to everybody, sorry guys. I’m sorry you couldn’t see the second set, but credit to Taylor. I mean, we had some incredible games towards the end of that set, and it was one of the longest sets I ever played, to be honest,” Djokovic admitted following his retirement.
The Serbian star’s exit capped a challenging tournament, where he had previously lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, extending the Italian’s winning streak over him to six matches. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz advanced past Fritz to set up yet another showdown with Sinner in the final, continuing the growing rivalry at the top of men’s tennis.
Acknowledging the fans and the event
Despite the disappointing finish, Novak Djokovic expressed gratitude toward the Riyadh crowd and the organizers of the Six Kings Slam.
“Anyway, it was an amazing visit to Riyadh for me once again. I want to thank everybody for really welcoming me here. Hopefully, if I keep on going next year, I will be back if you guys want me here,” he said.
Djokovic’s message reflected his usual professionalism and respect for fans, even amid a physically and mentally demanding tournament. His acknowledgment of Taylor Fritz’s performance also highlighted his sportsmanship:
“Credit to Taylor. He fought hard in that set.”
Recovery and future plans
Following the retirement, Novak Djokovic shared that his immediate focus would be recovery. “Now it’s rest and really addressing some of the issues I have in my body, and then hopefully playing the last couple of tournaments in the season. Let’s see,” he said.
His next scheduled appearance is at the Hellenic Championship, an ATP 250 event in Athens. Additionally, Djokovic has qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, marking his 18th qualification for the season-ending tournament — a testament to his enduring dominance despite recent challenges.
Taylor Fritz breaks ground
For Fritz, the third-place victory represented a career milestone: his first win overNovak Djokovic in 12 attempts. The American praised the physical intensity of the match, noting,
“That was really physical. You get into those really long games and the balls start to just wear out and get so huge to the point where it’s so hard to get a free point on the serve, hit a winner.”
Taylor Fritz now sets his sights on the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he will face Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot.
ADVERTISEMENT
