After dominating the courts for more than 15 years, reeling in a record 24 Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic admitted that the time has finally come to accept the reality of his decining physical condition, acknowleding that he cannot match to the exuberance of world no. 1 Jannik Sinner, who thumped him to reach his maiden Wimbledon final, joining another generational superstar and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Entering Friday’s contest on the back of a nasty injury he sustained on match point in the quarter-final on Wednesday, Djokovic was visibly no match for Sinner’s feistiness. The 23-year-old Italian took down the Serb for the second time in successive slams since last month’s French Open semi-final in straight sets, wrapping up the latest contest 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Sinner became only the second man after Rafael Nadal to take down the 38-year-old Djokovic in five successive matches, winning every contest since losing their first meeting.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune,” said Djokovic. “It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body. 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.
Djokovic accepted that he could not match up to Sinner and Alcaraz on tour despite wiping out the rest of the competition to consistently reach the semi-finals since winning his last major in 2023.
“I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today.” 🗣️
Novak Djokovic is setting the record straight after his semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner. #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/thnehGJRbK
— TENNIS (@Tennis) July 11, 2025
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“It’s tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I’m fresh, when I’m fit, I can still play really good tennis. I’ve proven that this year. But playing best of five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, the worse the condition gets. I reached the semis of every slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that.
“It is what it is, you know? It’s one of these things I accept and embrace in some way, deal with the reality the way it is, and try to make the most out of it, I guess.”
Jannik Sinner delivering in the big moments on Centre Court 👏
Play of the Day, presented by @BarclaysUK #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xUER6JJWEP
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2025
The seven-time champion, who has made the finals for six consecutive years since 2018, denied an imminent retirement. “Hopefully it’s not my last match on the Centre Court,” he said. “I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. So I’m planning to come back definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure.”
‘Disservice to God’
Djokovic did not detail the extent of his injuries, rather elaborated on how he maintains his shape for the grind on the tour.
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“The amount of hours I spend on a daily basis to take care of myself, I’d like to challenge everyone out there who’s on tour to see if anyone takes care of themselves more than me. And I unfortunately don’t get rewarded for that right now, with injuries at the later stages of Slams. But I was rewarded for many many years. So I might see it right now as misfortune. But I’ve gotten so much from God and from the life in my career that it would be a disservice form me to God and to my body and everything I had in my career to start complaining about injuries,” he said.
