The high-profile duo also went head to head in the final of the Shanghai Masters in China last weekend, with Djokovic denied the landmark 100th title of his illustrious career as world No1 Sinner triumphed 7-6 6-3.
The Italian levelled the all-time head to head with Djokovic in the process, with the two superstars now level on four wins apiece against each other since their first contest on tour back in 2021.
Sinner has won three in a row against Djokovic and four of the last five, after the Serbian claimed three straight wins to kick off the rivalry.
Familiar opponents: Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters final last weekend
AP
Sinner also triumphed in the semi-finals of the Australian Open en route to his maiden Grand Slam singles success back in January, as well as in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup last November.
The winner of today’s contest will move onto Saturday’s final, where either Rafael Nadal or Carlos Alcaraz await. While Sinner can technically still face Nadal with Italy before the latter retires at next month’s Davis Cup finals in Malaga, Riyadh could yet be set to host the final clash of one of the great all-time tennis rivalries if Djokovic and Nadal both advance on Thursday.
Djokovic and Nadal both received byes straight through to the semi-finals of a hugely lucrative new exhibition event that sees each competitor guaranteed minimum prize money of £1.12million and the winner set to pocket a cool £4.6m – far and away a record for the sport. There are no ranking points on offer however, with the event not being sanctioned by the ATP.
Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev 6-0 6-3 on Wednesday to get through to the last four of the inaugural six-man competition, while Alcaraz saw off Holger Rune 6-4 6-2.
Djokovic vs Sinner start time
The semi-finals of the Six Kings Slam are due to begin at 5:15pm BST today on Thursday October 17, 2024.
An order of play has not yet been confirmed.
How to watch Djokovic vs Sinner
TV channel: In the UK, the Six Kings Slam is being shown live on Sky Sports Tennis, with coverage getting underway today at 5:15pm BST.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to watch on a live stream online via the Sky Go app, while DAZN are streaming the whole tournament for free.
Content Source: www.standard.co.uk