The best rivalry of the present and one of the best rivalries of the past will be on display for final-day competition at the Six Kings Slam. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz battle for the title, while Novak Djokovic faces Rafael Nadal.
Championship: Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz
We will get another installment–albeit an unofficial one–of the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry when they collide in the final of the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Alcaraz has taken a 6-4 lead in the head-to-head series by winning all three of their meetings this season–all in deciding sets. The second-ranked Spaniard prevailed in Indian Wells, at the French Open, and in the recent Beijing final.
Although Sinner has been the most consistent player throughout 2024 and has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking, Alcaraz is the most talented player on tour. He is certainly playing like it right now. The 21-year-old is 12-1 since the U.S. Open. Alcaraz opened in Riyadh with a victory over Rafael Nadal, while Sinner scraped past Novak Djokovic. Even though the stakes are high in the form of massive prize money, it’s still an exhibition–and Alcaraz thrives when he is loose and having fun. Count on him picking up yet another win over his chief rival.
Pick: Alcaraz in 3
Third-place match: Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal
Nadal will be playing his last individual tournament match prior to retirement when he goes up against Djokovic. The 38-year-old Spaniard recently announced that he will call it quits at the end of this season. He has played sparingly in 2024 due to recurring injuries and had been sidelined since the Paris Olympics before losing to Alcaraz. Djokovic finishes with a 31-29 all-time record against Nadal and won every one of their last nine hard-court encounters. With Nadal much further past his prime than Djokovic, this should be one-way traffic.
Pick: Djokovic in 2