ovak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal announced for Saudi Arabian exhibition
Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been announced in a star-studded lineup for the ‘Six Kings Slam’ exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Djokovic and Nadal are joined by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune and newly crowned Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner.
This signals Saudi Arabia’s continued attempt to move into tennis, with the ATP Next Gen Finals being held in the capital for the first time last year.
Upon the announcement of the event, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority branded it as a ‘major new tennis tournament’, that will be held on an unknown date in October.
Unlike other exhibition events, this will be held during the tennis season and could clash with Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris.
This news comes only weeks after Nadal was announced as an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation, with the event reportedly originally supposed to be held after the Australian Open, but was moved due to the Spaniard’s injury troubles.
Nadal had this to say after the exhibition event was confirmed, “After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh.”
Inside the baseline…
This is certainly an interesting move made by all six players involved, that was likely motivated by large appearance fees offered to them. It was almost an inevitability that tennis would continue to move into Saudi Arabia, with the nation also being rumoured as a potential host for the WTA Finals, but it just seems a bit messy that it could clash with some big season ending tournaments in October. In terms of Rafael Nadal, this is also quite an intriguing move, as it suggests that he still intends to be competing in the latter stages of 2024, despite many thinking he could retire at either Roland Garros or the Olympics.
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Rafael Nadal signs to play Indian Wells. When can he meet Novak Djokovic?
A 22-time Major winner Rafael Nadal is on the Indian Wells entry list, planning to compete at the season’s first Masters 1000 event in March. A three-time champion in the desert will try to challenge the rivals from the top, with a potential duel against Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner coming already in the second round.
Rafa is currently ranked outside the top-600 after playing only three matches in the previous year. The veteran skipped almost the entire 2023 season due to a hip injury and returned to action at the beginning of the current season in Brisbane.
Playing for the first time in 349 days, Rafa ousted Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler en route to the quarter-final, hoping to chase the title in his comeback event.
Rafael Nadal will play in Indian Wells in March.
However, the Spaniard experienced another blow against Jordan Thompson, squandering three match points in the second set and losing 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 after almost three and a half hours.
Nadal felt the pain around his troubled hip again, revealing a minor tear in his muscle and skipping the Australian Open. Rafa should return in Doha in a couple of weeks before heading to the USA. Nadal will compete in Indian Wells two decades after debuting in the desert, reaching the third round in 2004 at 17!
Rafa’s first Indian Wells title came over Novak Djokovic in 2007, with another coming two years later against Andy Murray. After a couple of deep runs, the Spaniard went all the way again in 2013, securing his third and last Indian Wells crown.
Rafa lost to Novak and Roger in 2016 and 2017 before withdrawing ahead of the clash versus the Swiss in 2019.
Two years ago, Nadal battled for another Indian Wells title, beating a couple of challenging rivals and moving into the final. Dealing with a pectoral muscle injury and struggling to breathe due to a broken rib, Nadal suffered a 6-3, 7-6 defeat to Taylor Fritz, losing his first match of the season.
Fritz was also far from his best, injuring his ankle but deciding to chase a notable crown in front of the home fans. Taylor saved eight out of ten break points, mainly in the second set. The home star delivered four breaks and sealed the deal in straight sets, lifting his first Masters 1000 trophy.
Nadal skipped last year’s Indian Wells due to a hip injury and will try to make a winning return in a month, eager to compete after dealing with numerous injuries over the last couple of years.
Naomi Osaka makes telling statement on her confidence after third consecutive loss
Naomi Osaka admits she is feeling “less confident” in her game following another frustrating loss but highlighted that she is also “not too unconfident” that she can go out there and deliver a good performance.
Through the opening nine games of the match, Osaka held a 5-4 up lead over Danielle Collins and didn’t allow the American any break points in her opening five service games. But then, Osaka’s game just shut down as Collins went on to win the next nine games and register a 7-5 6-0 win over Osaka.
After beating Tamara Korpatsch in her first post-pregnancy match, Osaka has lost her last three matches. Following her latest loss, Osaka was asked if she would contemplate playing in a WTA 250 tournament or even in some qualifying events.
“I think I’m going to finish out the hard-court swing and then figure it out. I’m less confident but I’m not too unconfident to think that I can’t play really good tennis,” Osaka told Reem Abulleil.
Where will Osaka play next?
In the next two weeks, the opening two WTA 1000 tournaments of the year in Doha and Dubai will be taking place.
Osaka, who is currently ranked at No. 757 in the world, will also be competing in Doha despite being far away from the top-50 as she used her protected ranking of No. 46 to enter the tournament.
In Doha, 26-year-old Osaka will be making her second appearance and also her first appearance since 2018. In her Doha debut in 2018, Osaka made the second round as a qualifier before losing to Anastasia Sevastatova.
Since Doha is from the WTA 1000 category, pretty much all of the top players will be competing there. For Osaka, doing well in Doha could certainly do wonders for her confidence but could also further decrease her confidence levels if she again loses early.
Gasquet stunned by Djokovic: “There has never been anything in sport like Nole”
by Lorenzo Ciotti
After losing in the first round in the Montpellier tournament, Richard Gasquet, ATP No. 131, gave an interview to l’Equipe, speaking about the awareness that his body can no longer assist him as it did when he was young.
“My body is destined to get worse. Apart from Djokovic, who wins the Slams at almost 37 years old. Has there ever been anything similar in sport, apart from perhaps Michael Jordan? Lionel Messi plays in Miami, the others in Saudi Arabia , but Nole is the world number 1. I can’t understand why someone like Djokovic is so strong at that age,” said Gasquet.
“At 37-38, you’re usually not as good as you were at 25. I know that well. I never thought I’d be playing at 38. It was unimaginable,” explained the Frenchman.
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