Bit steadier from Rafa as he looks to wrap up the hold. He has the whole court to aim at on the approach, but completely miscues it. Sad to see.

He does well with the deuce, however, and dictates from the back of the court to hit deep into the corners and eventually make it 2-1.

Nadal opens up with a delightful backhand drive to wrong-foot Djoko.

Two break points for Rafa, Djoko hits back and then tries to take it to deuce from the net, but an impeccable forehand pass gives Nadal his first break.

Djokovic is really testing Rafa’s legs, he’s getting on the end of everything. Rafa just cannot contain him right now and is broken to open the second set.

And that’s a wrap on the opening set. Pretty dominant from Djokovic, perhaps expected given he has had significantly more minutes on court than Rafa in recent months.

Nadal lining up for some shots you’re used to seeing him sink with aplomb, but instead they’ve flown wide, long, into the net.

Still, an enjoyable contest between the two greats.

Djokovic in his stride as Nadal broken for the second time. Novak to serve for the set.

Every now and then we get flashes of the brilliance we became accustomed to seeing between the two. Rafa’s forehand onto Djoko’s backhand, vintage stuff.

Two game points for Novak but a sensational forehand down the line cuts the advantage.

But Djoko wraps it up with an ace.

Nadal charges into a 30-0 lead but the lack of match sharpness again prevalent. Hits out before a duo of double faults.

He regains his composure to take it to deuce, before sending Djokovic dancing around the court and breaking him down with a stunner of a drop.

Some big hitting at the back sees Novak forced into hitting into the net.

No doubting Rafa can’t quite get the same purchase on his groundies these days. But he puts up a staunch defence at 0-40, only to be met by an absolute tub-thumper of a forehand by the running Djokovic.

Some delightful strikes coming from Djokovic at the back of the court. But Nadal puts up a fight with some dynamic play – an immaculate approach off the serve before rattling off an ace.

Another strong serve wraps up the game at 40-15 – Rafa on the scoreboard.

It may well be an exhibition, but Nadal is still holding himself to high standards and getting frustrated by his unforced errors.

Djokovic wins three straight points to go 40-30 on serve, but Nadal forces deuce as Djoko tries to be cheeky with a sliced drop.

The Serbian takes advantage but double faults, but makes no mistake at the next opportunity, hitting a delicious running forehand down the line to hold and grasp a 2-0 lead.

They’re putting the feelers out, hitting deep early doors. Rafa clips wide off the net before hitting long. But the 22-time Grand Slam champion chalks it back to 30-30.

Nice rally as Rafa looks to forge ahead but it goes into the net. Djokovic then follows it up with a magnificent short return which Rafa opts to not test his legs for.

He wins the toss, and opts to serve.

It’s their first meeting since their second-round clash at the Paris Olympics earlier this year – where Djokovic went on the claim elusive gold.

We wondered what tennis in Saudi Arabia may look like. Seemingly it involves impressive light shows and LED court theatrics.

Holograms of the tennis greats are projected above the net, and here they come! Djokovic and Nadal walk out to grace the singles court together for the final time.

Sporting greatness recognises fellow sporting greatness.

There’s no doubting that Djokovic has to be the favourite here, but wouldn’t it be great to see some vintage Rafa as he edges closer to signing off an incredible tennis career?

This will be the 61st meeting between Djokovic and Nadal – and an emotional one, with the magnificent rivalry between the pair coming to an end in Saudi Arabia.

From the near six-hour clash between the two in the 2012 Australian Open final, to Nadal’s dominant 2020 Roland-Garros final triumph, to their meeting back on clay at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, there have been some unforgettable match-ups between the two sporting legends over the years.

One last dance in Riyadh tonight. Find out all the details on their H2H record below!

At the ripe age of 37, there’s no let up for Djokovic, who wants another Grand Slam title to become the player with the most major singles tennis titles.

He is currently tied with hall-of-famer Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slams – and unlike his opponent in Riyadh today, retirement is not on his horizon.

Hello and welcome to this evening’s coverage of the third-place play-off between two tennis greats: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in Riyadh.

The countdown to Nadal’s farewell at the Davis Cup is dwindling, with the Riyadh showcase one of few remaining opportunities to see the King of Clay in action.

Who will prevail in Saudi Arabia? Stay tuned for all the updates.

The Six Kings Slam is a lucrative six-player tennis exhibition event that will take place from October 16-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It is a single-elimination tournament, with two of the six players getting first-round byes.

There will be two matches played on both the first two days, followed by a rest day, and then the third-place match and final on Saturday, October 19.

The six players competing at the Six Kings Slam are Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.

That’s four of the top five in the ATP rankings, including current world No. 1 Sinner.

The Six Kings Slam will be the first time Nadal has played since the Paris Olympic Games, after withdrawing from the US Open and Laver Cup.

Djokovic and Nadal have both got first-round byes, meaning they will play their opening matches on October 17.

• October 16: Medvedev v Sinner, Rune v Alcaraz
• October 17: Djokovic v Medvedev or Sinner, Nadal v Rune or Alcaraz
• October 19: Third-place match: Djokovic v Nadal; final – Sinner v Alcaraz