Jannik Sinner pushes through fatigue to conquer Novak Djokovic at Six Kings Slam

Jannik Sinner battled through fatigue to conquer Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 6-7 (0), 6-4 and reach the Grand Final of the inaugural Six Kings Slam on Thursday.

The top-ranked Sinner defeated Djokovic for the second time in four days, having overcome the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday.

“We arrived quite late here. We played a final just some days ago in Shanghai, so it’s very tough to play against him,” Sinner said of his performance after the match. “Today, I felt like we both made some mistakes, which is normal. We were slightly tired. This is quite normal. Hopefully, we can recover in the best possible way for Saturday, him for his match, me for my match. Then, we’ll see.

“I’m happy how I handled the situation because it was a very tough situation. I was a break up twice in the third set, and never confirmed the break. So, I’m happy how I handled it. It was a tough match.”

I was on the ropes the entire match. He was the better player. I was just lucky to get through the second set. Novak Djokovic

Djokovic, who will play one more match for third place despite the semifinal defeat, credited Sinner’s strong mental performance and lauded the “electric atmosphere” in his press conference.

“I was on the ropes the entire match,” said Djokovic, who has now lost five of his last six matches to Sinner dating back to last fall. “He was the better player. I was just lucky to get through the second set. In the third, I had some chances when I broke his serve at 4-3.

“The noise was amazing in the stadium. It was fun. I really enjoyed playing here in Saudi in December. Last year I played for the first time with [Carlos] Alcaraz, and it was a great atmosphere. Now, again, so I’m looking forward to coming out in two days as well.”

Sinner, who is now 2-0 in Riyadh after dropping just three games to Daniil Medvedev in his opening match, now awaits Alcaraz after the Spaniard defeated Rafael Nadal, who confirmed he will retire at the end of the season, 6-3, 6-3.

“Even when you’re sometimes tired and cannot control your emotions, this is tennis. This is normal, and a very interesting game with a lot of mindsets you need to try and win these kinds of matches,” said Sinner.

“I feel like all six of us are happy to be here and try out this new format. It’s a nice format, and we’re here trying to promote tennis here. It’s a beautiful country, and we’re just looking forward to coming back in the future.”