Jannik Sinner hails Novak Djokovic as a 'real idol' after dominant win at Six Kings Slam

The world No 2 claimed a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over 24-time major champion Djokovic in just over an hour at the lucrative exhibition in Saudi Arabia.

Sinner broke Djokovic three times and saved the only two break points he faced late in the second set of the semi-final contest.

The Italian had eased past Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3 in his opening match at the event, while Djokovic received a first round bye.

The four-time Grand Slam winner is the reigning Six Kings Slam champion, having triumphed at the inaugural edition of the exhibition last year.

In his on-court interview after defeating Djokovic, Sinner paid tribute to the 38-year-old Serbian.

"I think he said everything," said the 24-year-old. "Such a great role model for the younger generation.

"Seeing him competing and practising and training for these moments is amazing.

"What he has achieved in his career is incredible. I see him as a real idol. To play against him is a huge honour and privilege. I'm happy about today but I'm also happy to see him in tournaments and see him around."

Having lost four of his first five ATP Tour level matches against Djokovic, Sinner now leads the head-to-head 6-4 having won the last five, including semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon this year (this is excluding exhibition matches).

Sinner will face his biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam final on Saturday in a rematch of the 2024 championship match. All six participants at the event earn a 1.5million dollars participation fee, but the winner secures an additional 4.5million dollars.

Ahead of his showdown with Alcaraz - the world No 1 and a six-time major champion - Sinner said: "I look forward every time we face each other.

"It's great for us. It's gonna be a great battle. I'll try to be as ready as I can. It's obviously a huge honour to play against him again.

"I'm looking forward to it. I hope you guys do also. We all hope for a great Saturday night."

Alcaraz saw off world No 4 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-2 in his semi-final match on Thursday.

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