Wimbledon, England — Less than an hour after leaving court after a direct set loss in the semi-finals to Janik Thinner, Novak Djokovic said he does not believe this is his final appearance in Wimbledon.
The 38-year-old had an emotional exit as he left the court following a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 defeat. He turned to every side of the centre court as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. If that was the last match of his career at the All-England club, when asked if he was “sad,” he said he didn’t think he was.
“Hopefully it’s not my last game on Centre Court,” Djokovic said, “I’m not going to finish my Wimbledon career today, so I’m planning to go back at least one more time and play on Centre Court.”
Djokovic, a 24-time major champion from Serbia, hinted at his imminent retirement when he told the sinner “it’s the last match here” after a French open loss in the same round last month.
His press conference on Friday then attracted great interest, with almost all of his seats being occupied. The media theater is full of reporters and was portrayed “amazing” by two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic admitted on Friday that he had a “very” physical compromise during the game — without providing details — and said how difficult it is to lose to the sinner and Alkaraz in recent meetings, he still believes he’s playing well in the Grand Slams.
“I put everything I could in training and when it comes to my preparation so I could do my best in the Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “I think I feel like I’m not winning a Grand Slam this year or I’m continuing to play the best tennis in a Grand Slam last year. These are the tournaments I care about most at this stage of my career.”
Djokovic added that in the near future he will consult with his team and his family to decide “where he wants to peak and how he wants to train his schedule.” Djokovic previously said he plans to play the US Open starting August 24th in New York.
Djokovic set the long-standing record for Margaret Court, the most major singles title at the US Open in 2023, among the best sports ever.
However, since then he has reached one major final (losed to Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year) and four semifinals. He won Olympic Gold in Paris last summer – the only substantial title he hadn’t won yet – but otherwise won one ATP title in that span. Alkaraz and Thinner, who will compete on Sunday at the 2025 Wimbledon Trophy, have been combined to win the final six slam titles. Djokovic said the duo “are definitely above some levels now.”
