Novak Djokovic slumps to Jannik Sinner as 'can't keep up' remarks ring true in Six Kings

Novak Djokovic's admission that he struggles to keep up with tennis' top young talent was evident as he suffered a bruising defeat against Jannik Sinner in Saudi Arabia. Italian Sinner recorded a 6-2 6-7(0) 6-4 victory over Djokovic to put him within touching distance of the Six Kings Slam's £4.6million prize.

The Serb was one of six players invited to play in the lucrative inaugural exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. He earned around £1.5m simply by taking part.

But after Rafael Nadal's announcement that he will retire after the Davis Cup next month, there is a sense that Djokovic does not have much long left at the very top of the sport. Only he remains from tennis' Big Three of himself, Nadal and Roger Federer.

Speaking to Sportal ahead of the tournament, Djokovic said: "I think I belong to that old guard that maybe can't handle the youth anymore. Changes are definitely coming, it's a natural process and it's been talked about for several years."

Sinner was largely comfortable against Djokovic, keeping the 24-time Grand Slam champion at arm's length. Only in an epic second-set tiebreak - won 7-0 by Djokovic - did the veteran display the dominance that defined his catalogue of world-class performances over the last two decades.

"We (Sinner and Djokovic) played a final in Shanghai not many days ago. We both were slightly tired and making a couple of mistakes," an exhausted Sinner reflected during his on-court interview.

"We all love to play here. Thanks everyone for coming. That's the reason why we're here.

"[The aim is] just tried to reset as fast as possible. I'm happy with how I handled the match. Let's see what's coming on Saturday. Hopefully, it's gonna be a good one. That's the reason we're all here."

That changing of the guard at the top of men's tennis has been on display across the Six Kings Slam. After the opening semi-final, Carlos Alcaraz defeated his idol, Nadal, 6-3 6-3 in another routine triumph for the younger player.

Sinner and Alcaraz will meet again just weeks after their thrilling China Open final, which the Spaniard edged in three sets. Fans lucky enough to have seats inside the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center are sure to be treated to another epic contest between the ATP's top two-ranked stars.

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