Novak Djokovic made a light-hearted apology to fans in Riyadh after losing in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in the Six Kings Slam semi-final. The 38-year-old lost 6-4 6-2 to the Italian, making it eight consecutive matches between the two that Sinner has come out on top. Sinner will now meet Alcaraz in the final, vying for $4.5 million, while Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz in a battle for third.
Novak Djokovic issued an apology to fans after losing in straight sets to Jannik Sinner at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh.
Djokovic, coming off the back of a shock defeat to world No. 204 Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai Masters semi-final, was beaten 6-4 6-2 at the semi-final stage again.
The 38-year-old has now failed to beat the world No. 2 in two years, losing his last eight meetings with Sinner in the process.
At ANB Arena in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Djokovic struggled to apply pressure on Sinner, as supporters who hoped to see a classic were left disappointed.
Following his latest defeat to the Italian, Djokovic admitted Sinner felt like “a runaway train.”
He said: “I’m sorry you couldn’t see a longer match today, it’s his fault, not my fault!
“I tried to intimidate him a little bit at that last game with the last 15 points, but it didn’t work.
“Look, it felt like a runaway train, you know, he was smacking the ball from all corners. I was just trying to hang in there, but he was just too good, so well done to him and good luck in the finals.”
Djokovic earlier revealed he plans to play beyond his 40th birthday as he remains in hot pursuit of an elusive 25th Grand Slam.
His last major title came in 2023 at the US Open but 2025 saw him reach all four semi-finals, showing he is still among the world’s elite players.
Beating Sinner and world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz has been a different story, though, and the Serb acknowledged he would need to “trade for a younger body” to be able to overcome the best two players in men’s tennis.
“Excuse my language, but it’s never nice when somebody kicks your a** like this on the court,” Djokovic said.
“But it’s definitely amazing that I’m still being able to play at a high level, being top 10, top 5. It’s a good, good feeling.
“It’s been an incredible journey, an amazing career, there’s so much to celebrate, but I would like if somebody can trade a younger body with me, that would be nice, just for a year, so I can try to keep winning against these guys.”
Sinner – who was quick to praise Djokovic post-match, saying “I see him as a real idol” – will now face Alcaraz in the final.
A $4.5 million prize is on the line as their intense rivalry continues, while Djokovic will meet Taylor Fritz in the third place play-off.
Alcaraz, who recently withdrew from the Shanghai Masters with an ankle injury, defeated American Fritz by the same scoreline of 6-4 6-2 to give the Riyadh crowd a tantalising taste of world No. 1 v world No. 2.
The last eight Grand Slams have been won by either Alcaraz or Sinner, dating back to Djokovic’s 2023 US Open triumph, and in 2025 the duo met in three of the four Grand Slam finals.
Alcaraz won the French Open in a five-set thriller, as well as the US Open, while Sinner won the Australian Open and Wimbledon.