Six Kings Slam 2024: Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
Date: October 19 2024
Tournament: Six Kings Slam 2024
Round: Third-place match
Venue: The Venue, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Category: Exhibition
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize Money: $6,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - DAZN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - DAZN
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal preview
The whole attention of the tennis world will be on Riyadh as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are slated to play each other once more. The two legends will meet on October 19 in the third-place playoff at the Six Kings Slam.
2024 has been a season of what-ifs for Djokovic. The Serbian has yet to win a title on the ATP Tour, but he had one of the best crowning moments of his career. He won the gold medal for his country, overcoming Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (3), 6-7 (2) in the final, in one of the matches of the year so far.
On the Tour, the World No. 4 reached two finals, at Wimbledon and at the recently concluded Shanghai Masters. On both occasions, he was defeated by his young rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. At the Six Kings Slam he got a direct bye into the semifinals, where he lost 2-6, 7-6 (0), 6-4 to Sinner.
2024 will be the last season on Tour for Rafael Nadal, as the Spaniard has recently made a formal announcement stating the same. The Spaniard missed most of 2023 with injury and attempted a comeback in 2024. However, his comeback trail was hampered by further injury complications which saw the former World No.1 only play at a handful of events in the season.
Nadal has only played 19 matches in the year, winning 12 of them. Almost all his matches in the season have been on clay. He had his best run at the Nordea Open, reaching his 72nd clay-court final, but lost 3-6, 2-6 to Nuno Borges. He too got a direct bye to the semifinal of the Six Kings Slam, losing 3-6, 3-6 to Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal head-to-head
Djokovic has a 31-29 lead in the head-to-head as far as official matches are concerned. Their last meeting came in the second round of the Paris Olympics, with the Serb winning 6-1, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal odds
Odds sourced from Odds Portal.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal prediction
Djokovic has shown some glimpses of good form in recent weeks. After a disappointing third-round exit at the US Open and finishing a year without a Major title since 2017, the Serbian made an excellent comeback reaching the final of the Shanghai Masters. He played some extremely competitive matches against younger opponents like Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik, and Taylor Fritz to get to the final.
Injuries have been a constant in Rafael Nadal's career and as the Spaniard's career comes to a close, the injuries have taken a toll on the legendary player. The last hard-court tournament that Nadal played was the Brisbane International this year, losing 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-3 to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinal.
Given their state of careers currently, Djokovic is the favorite in the upcoming match.
Pick- Djokovic to win in straight sets