Rafael Nadal starts his pre-retirement farewell tour against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Six Kings Slam, and Novak Djokovic faces Jannik Sinner at an exhibition event that awards money but no ATP ranking points and is Saudi Arabia's latest foray into tennis.

While Nadal was beaten 6-3 6-3 by Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam, Djokovic posed a stiffer test for Sinner and took their match to three sets. Even while limiting his schedule, Djokovic has played significantly more recent tennis than Nadal, who will retire after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.

Rafa Nadal will have one last chance to face old rival Novak Djokovic before the Spaniard calls time on his illustrious career with the pair set to meet at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.

Novak Djokovic has ruled out retiring from tennis any time soon ahead of his seismic showdown with Rafael Nadal at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The Serb has won a remarkable 24 Grand Slam titles over the course of his career and is still going strong at the age of 37.

As the final embers of the greatest era in men’s tennis burn away, the animosity between the ‘Big 3’ at the heart of this great dama appears to have faded. With Rafael Nadal confirming he will retire at next month’s Davis Cup Finals,