Novak Djokovic abruptly quits match in Saudi Arabia, season in doubt

Novak Djokovic abruptly retired from his Six Kings Slam third-place playoff match against Taylor Fritz on Saturday. 

The Serb bowed out early in the second set after losing a physical first set in a 7-4 tiebreaker. According to The Independent, Djokovic was hobbled at the end of the first set after he pulled a muscle in his left leg, and struggled to cope with the slow surface at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.

Novak Djokovic apologizes for retirement 

The 24-time major winner issued an apology to the Saudi Arabian spectators for not giving them a proper finish. 

"Not great, I want to apologize to everybody," Djokovic said, via The Independent. "Sorry guys. Sorry you couldn't see the second set. It was one of the longest sets I've played. It was an amazing visit to Riyadh for me once again. I want to thank everybody for really welcoming me. Hopefully if I keep on going next year, I'll be back if you guys want me here."

He similarly apologized after being bulldozed in straight sets by Jannik Sinner in the semifinal of the lucrative exhibition tournament. Sinner would go on to defeat World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in a hard-fought match to win the Six Kings Slam on Saturday, earning himself a paycheck of $6M for winning just three matches — against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Djokovic and Alcaraz — over the period of four days.

End of season for Novak Djokovic?

Unless Djokovic has a last-minute change of heart, he will probably skip the year-end ATP Finals in Turin, just like he did last year. As of this writing, only Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic have qualified for the ATP Finals, with Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton on the verge of doing the same. 

If Djokovic were to withdraw, his spot could be taken by Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur or Holger Rune, depending on the results of the ATP 500 event in Basel, the ATP 1000 Masters in Paris and the ATP 250 event in Athens. Djokovic had earlier agreed to play in Athens, but his latest leg injury could alter those plans.

"Now it's rest and really addressing some of the issues I have with my body," Djokovic said on Saturday. "Then hopefully playing the last couple of tournaments of the season, let's see."

Djokovic's 2025 season might be over with only the one title he won in Geneva in May. He similarly won only one title in 2024, capturing the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.