Novak Djokovic’s Six Kings Slam campaign came to an end on Saturday in Riyadh as he faced Taylor Fritz in the third-place playoff following their semifinal losses. The Serbian legend retired from the match after losing a grueling first set, marking his first career defeat to the American.
Novak Djokovic’s 2025 Six Kings Slam Run Ends with Retirement Against Taylor Fritz
The Six Kings Slam featured six top tennis stars competing at the ANB Arena in Riyadh from October 15 to 18. Fritz kicked off the tournament with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, while Jannik Sinner beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3 in the other quarterfinal match. Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both received byes straight into the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Alcaraz cruised past Fritz with a 6-4, 6-2 victory, while Sinner dominated Djokovic by the same scoreline. The Italian extended his winning streak over the Serb to six straight matches. Alcaraz and Sinner are now set to face each other in yet another final this year.
Djokovic and Fritz met in the third-place match on Saturday, with the first set turning into a marathon battle lasting 75 minutes. Both players fought hard in slow court conditions, with Fritz saving set points before winning the tiebreak 7-4. During the match, Djokovic appeared to struggle with injury, and after losing the opening set, the 38-year-old decided he could not continue and retired from the match.
Following his retirement, Djokovic addressed the crowd at the ANB Arena and when asked about how he was feeling, he replied:
“Not great, want to apologize to everybody, sorry guys. I’m sorry you couldn’t see the second set, but credit to Taylor. I mean, we had some incredible games towards the end of that set, and it was one of the longest sets I ever played, to be honest.”
“Anyway, it was an amazing visit to Riyadh for me once again. I want to thank everybody for really welcoming me here. Hopefully, if I keep on going next year, I will be back if you guys want me here,” he added.
When asked about his plans for the remainder of the season, Djokovic revealed his immediate focus would be on recovery.
“Now it’s rest and really addressing some of the issues I have in my body, and then hopefully playing the last couple of tournaments in the season. Let’s see,” he said.
Novak Djokovic has retired against Taylor Fritz after losing the first set 7-6.
Following the match, Djokovic said it was “one of the longest sets he ever played.” #FritzDjokovic#AlcarazSinner is next up, LIVE now on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/tFCeDphVvH
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) October 18, 2025
Fritz, who earned his first win over Djokovic in 12 attempts, put up a strong fight in the marathon opening set. “That was really physical,” Fritz said after the match. You get into those really long games and the balls start to just wear out and get so huge to the point where it’s so hard to get a free point on the serve, hit a winner.”
The American is next set to face Shanghai Masters Champion, Valentin Vacherot, in the opening round of the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he is the top seed.
Djokovic is next scheduled to compete at the Hellenic Championship, an ATP 250 event in Athens. He has also qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, marking his 18th qualification for the season-ending tournament.
MORE: Novak Djokovic Issues Strong-Worded Message on Future Amid People ‘Wanting Him to Retire’
