Novak Djokovic stunned spectators by ending his Six Kings Slam third-place play-off against Taylor Fritz after just one set. He then took to the microphone and addressed the crowd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The duo battled through a thrilling opening set before the Serbian legend approached the umpire and declared he was withdrawing from the match with immediate effect. Fritz emerged victorious 7-6 following 76 punishing minutes, and while Djokovic was clearly struggling physically, his sudden retirement left Netflix commentators gobsmacked.
They confessed it was "surprising" to witness the 38-year-old abandon the encounter. Djokovic revealed his intention to "address the physical issues he's been having and hopefully playing the last couple of tournaments of the season" while offering his apologies to the Saudi Arabian spectators who had come to witness him in action.
However, he teased a potential return to the event next year, with his remarks suggesting he may still feature in competitions this season - possibly in Turin. "I want to apologise to everybody, sorry guys, I'm sorry you couldn't see the second set," Djokovic said.
"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've ever played, to be honest. It was amazing to be in Riyadh once again.
"I want to thank everybody for really welcoming me here. This is the third time I have been here in three years, and hopefully, if I keep on going next year, I'll be back, if you guys want me here."
Djokovic strolled down the tunnel to thunderous applause before Fritz grabbed the microphone and explained: "That was really physical. What happens is you get into those really long games and the ball starts to wear out and get so huge, to the point where it's so hard to get a free point on the serve, or a winner, so it's playing the long points and games.
"It makes everything slower, longer, it's such a tough set, and at the end of it, conditions just got so slow. We were playing long rallies, back-to-back-to-back, just fighting for every point, so it was brutal."
When quizzed about what it's like to face Djokovic, Fritz responded: "It's amazing. It's crazy, all these guys that I grew up watching dominate tennis, and I get to play with them.
"It's not like this is anything new; Novak's been beating me for a very long time, probably at least the last eight years. It's always a pleasure to share the court with the best players of all time."
When the American was pressed on who he fancied would triumph in the final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, he continued: "Don't do that to me, but it's really tough to say. What I will say when I played Carlos it felt very, very tough. I definitely want to see what Sinner does to deal with that, because I didn't have the answers."
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.