Novak Djokovic’s journey at Wimbledon ended in the semi-finals with a straight-sets loss to Jannik Sinner. The 38-year-old struggled physically during the match, still feeling the effects of a fall from his quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli.
When asked about his physical condition after the defeat, Djokovic said, “I mean, quite a bit… Honestly, it wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court. I don’t want to talk, in details, about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best. I want to congratulate Jannik for another great performance. That’s it. He’s in the finals. He was too strong.”
Djokovic had been pursuing a record-extending 25th major title and an eighth Wimbledon crown but faced challenges following an injury sustained during his quarter-final win.
“It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body,” he remarked. “As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest.”
The Serbian player has exited at the semi-final stage in all three Grand Slams he participated in this year. He retired against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open and lost to Sinner at Roland Garros.
“I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically,” Djokovic explained. “The longer the tournament goes, the worse the condition gets.”
Despite these setbacks, Djokovic expressed hope for future appearances at Wimbledon: “I would be sad, but hopefully it’s not my last match on Centre Court… I’m planning to come back definitely at least one more time.”
Reflecting on his efforts to maintain fitness amidst physical challenges, he stated: “I don’t know what I can do differently because… I’d like to challenge everyone who is out there on tour to see if anybody takes care of themselves more than me.”
Djokovic leaves London with a 26-8 record this season and highlighted by winning his 100th tour-level title in Geneva. Sunday’s final will be notable as it’s the first time since 2017 that Djokovic won’t compete for the Wimbledon title.
On predicting outcomes for Alcaraz versus Sinner in Sunday’s final clash: “I think I will give a slight edge to Carlos as a favourite because of two titles he’s won here… But it’s just a slight advantage because Jannik is hitting ball extremely well.”