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After nearly two decades at the pinnacle of men’s tennis, Novak Djokovic has come face-to-face with a truth even the greatest athletes cannot escape — time spares no one. The 24-time Grand Slam champion admitted, in the aftermath of his straight-sets loss to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-final, that his physical limitations are becoming harder to ignore.
Jannik Sinner outpaces Novak Djokovic in straight sets
Facing the world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Centre Court, Djokovic looked a shadow of his usual dominant self. Nursing a lingering injury sustained in the quarter-final, the Serbian legend was unable to keep pace with the 23-year-old Italian, who outclassed him 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his maiden Wimbledon final. It marked Sinner’s second consecutive Slam win over Djokovic, following their semi-final clash at Roland Garros.
Jannik Sinner now joins Carlos Alcaraz — the reigning Wimbledon champion — in leading the charge for the next generation, while Novak Djokovic, for the first time publicly, acknowledged the mounting challenge of keeping up.
"Reality hits me now"
Speaking candidly in his post-match press conference, Djokovic didn’t point fingers at fate or misfortune. Instead, he embraced the uncomfortable truth.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune,” he admitted. “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.”
Despite reaching the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams this year, Novak Djokovic reflected on the increasing difficulty of going the distance in best-of-five matches against elite, younger opponents.
“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... I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty.”
Retirement not on the cards yet
While the defeat marked a significant moment of introspection, Djokovic made it clear he isn’t ready to walk away from the sport just yet.
“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.”
Reflecting on a storied career
Novak Djokovic also emphasized the immense effort he still puts into staying competitive.
“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.”
Despite the setbacks, Djokovic remains grateful, choosing humility over frustration.
“I’ve gotten so much from God and from the life in my career that it would be a disservice from me to God and to my body and everything I had in my career to start complaining about injuries.”
As Wimbledon 2025 draws to a close for Djokovic, the tennis world watches closely — not just to see how many more battles he can win, but how gracefully he continues to fight them.
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