Wimbledon, England — Less than an hour after leaving court after a straight set loss to Janik Thinner in the semi-finals, Novak Djokovic said he doesn’t believe this was 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. When asked if he was sad if it was the last match of his career at the All-England Club, 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 was full of reporters and was portrayed “amazing” by two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz when rescheduled in the final moments to speak during Djokovic’s first time slot.
Djokovic on Friday admitted to having “a lot” physical compromise during the game, but without providing details he said how difficult it is to lose to the sinner and Alkaraz at a recent meeting, but he believes he is still 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 determine how best to proceed with his schedule, “where you want to peak and how you want to train.” He previously said he plans to play at the US Open, which begins 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 (who lost 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 the rest won one ATP title in that period. Alkaraz and Thinner, who will compete on Sunday at the 2025 Wimbledon Trophy, are paired together to win the past six slam titles. Djokovic said the duo “are definitely above some levels now.”