Novak Djokovic abruptly retired from his Six Kings Slam third-place playoff match towards Taylor Fritz on Saturday.
The Serb bowed out early within the second set after shedding a bodily first set in a 7-4 tiebreaker. In response to The Impartial, Djokovic was hobbled on the finish of the primary set after he pulled a muscle in his left leg, and struggled to deal with the gradual floor on the ANB Enviornment in Riyadh.
Novak Djokovic apologizes for retirement
The 24-time main winner issued an apology to the Saudi Arabian spectators for not giving them a correct end.
“Not nice, I wish to apologize to all people,” Djokovic mentioned, through The Impartial. “Sorry guys. Sorry you could not see the second set. It was one of many longest units I’ve performed. It was an incredible go to to Riyadh for me as soon as once more. I wish to thank all people for actually welcoming me. Hopefully if I carry on going subsequent yr, I will be again for those who guys need me right here.”
He equally apologized after being bulldozed in straight units by Jannik Sinner within the semifinal of the profitable exhibition match. Sinner would go on to defeat World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in a hard-fought match to win the Six Kings Slam on Saturday, incomes himself a paycheck of $6M for successful simply three matches — towards Stefanos Tsitsipas, Djokovic and Alcaraz — over the interval of 4 days.
Finish of season for Novak Djokovic?
Except Djokovic has a last-minute change of coronary heart, he’ll in all probability skip the year-end ATP Finals in Turin, identical to he did final yr. As of this writing, solely Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic have certified for the ATP Finals, with Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton on the verge of doing the identical.
If Djokovic had been to withdraw, his spot could possibly be taken by Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur or Holger Rune, relying on the outcomes of the ATP 500 occasion in Basel, the ATP 1000 Masters in Paris and the ATP 250 occasion in Athens. Djokovic had earlier agreed to play in Athens, however his newest leg damage might alter these plans.
“Now it is relaxation and actually addressing among the points I’ve with my physique,” Djokovic mentioned on Saturday. “Then hopefully enjoying the final couple of tournaments of the season, let’s examine.”
Djokovic’s 2025 season may be over with solely the one title he received in Geneva in Might. He equally received just one title in 2024, capturing the gold medal on the Paris Olympics.
