WIMBLEDON, England — Lower than an hour after leaving the court docket following his straight-set loss within the semifinals to Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic mentioned he did not imagine this is able to be his last Wimbledon look.
The 38-year-old had an emotional exit as he walked off the court docket following the 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 defeat. He turned to wave to all sides of Centre Court docket as the group gave him a standing ovation. When requested if he could be “unhappy” if that was the final match of his profession on the All England Membership, he mentioned he could be however did not assume it was.
“Hopefully it is not my final match on the Centre Court docket,” Djokovic mentioned, “I am not planning to complete my Wimbledon profession at this time. So I am planning to come back again undoubtedly at the least yet another time, play on the Centre Court docket for positive.”
Djokovic, a 24-time main champion from Serbia, had hinted at his impending retirement following his French Open loss final month in the identical spherical, additionally to Sinner, when he mentioned it may have been “the final match ever I performed right here.”
Subsequently his information convention on Friday garnered heavy curiosity, with almost each seat occupied. The media theater was so filled with reporters, it drew a “wow” from Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, when he was rescheduled on the last-minute to talk throughout Djokovic’s preliminary time slot.
Whereas Djokovic admitted on Friday he had been bodily compromised “fairly a bit” through the match – with out providing any specifics – and mentioned how tough it has been to lose to Sinner and Alcaraz in current conferences, he mentioned he believed he was nonetheless taking part in effectively at Grand Slams.
“I’ve put the whole lot I probably can on the subject of coaching and getting ready myself so I can play my finest at Grand Slams,” Djokovic mentioned. “I believe, no matter the truth that I have never received a Grand Slam this 12 months, or final 12 months, I nonetheless really feel like I proceed to play my finest tennis at Grand Slams. These are the tournaments that I care about at this stage of my profession probably the most.”
Djokovic added he would seek the advice of together with his workforce and his household within the close to future to find out how finest to proceed together with his schedule “and the place I need to peak and the way I need to practice.” Djokovic had beforehand mentioned he deliberate on taking part in the US Open, which begins Aug. 24 in New York.
Thought of among the many finest to ever play the game, Djokovic tied Margaret Court docket’s longstanding document for probably the most main singles titles in historical past on the US Open in 2023. After such a powerful season, through which he received three of the 12 months’s 4 Slam titles and completed at year-end No. 1, he regarded poised to seize the mark outright.
However since then, he has reached only one main last (dropping to Alcaraz at Wimbledon final 12 months) and 4 semifinals. He captured Olympic gold in Paris final summer time – the one substantial title he had but to win – however has in any other case received only one ATP title in that span. Alcaraz and Sinner, who will compete on Sunday for the 2025 Wimbledon trophy, have mixed to win the final six Slam titles. Djokovic mentioned the duo are “undoubtedly a number of ranges above everybody proper now.”