On Friday, Novak Djokovic struggled to keep up with an in-form Jannik Sinner on Centre Court. After suffering what he described as a quote, “nasty fall” in his quarterfinal match with Flavio Cobolli, a noticeably hampered Djokovic fell to Sinner in straight sets on Friday (6-3, 6-3, 6-3).
Following the match, Djokovic, who was looking to win his eighth Wimbledon title, a feat that would put him on even ground with Roger Federer, spoke with members of the press for his post-match press conference.
As he explained, when he’s fresh, he can produce high-quality tennis; however, it sounds as though reality is setting in for the all-time great:
“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, the last year and a half, like never before to be honest. It’s tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I’m fresh and fit, I can still play very good tennis. I’ve proven that this year.”
“I reached the semis of every slam this year. I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty.”
You can see his comments in the video below beginning at the 1:14 mark.
Novak Djokovic Shuts Down Retirement Talk Following SF Elimination
Much like after his semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner on Philippe-Chatrier at the beginning of June, when Novak Djokovic exited Centre Court at SW19 on Friday, some fans wondered if the seven-time champion had played his final Wimbledon match.
During his post-match press conference, the all-time great shot down retirement talk, indicating that he’s planning to return for quote, “at least” one more run at an eighth title.
“Hopefully it’s not my last match on Centre Court. I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. I’m planning to come back definitely at least one more time.”
Throughout the tournament, Djokovic appeared to be in-form, dropping just three sets in five rounds prior to Friday’s meeting with Sinner.
Unfortunately, that all changed with Djokovic’s fall late in his quarterfinal match with Cobolli on Wednesday.
Jannik Sinner Reacts to Win Over Novak Djokovic on Friday
While Friday’s loss brought Novak Djokovic’s dreams of an eighth Wimbledon title to a screeching halt, the win moves World No. 1 Jannik Sinner one step closer to his maiden title at SW19.
Following Friday’s match, Sinner, who has been dealing with an elbow injury sustained in his match against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday, spoke in his on-court interview about the win.
“From my side I served very well today. I felt great on court. I was moving much better today and I think we all saw, especially in the third set, that he was a bit injured. He fell in the last couple of points in the quarterfinals and he has been in a very difficult situation but I tried to stay calm, tried to play the best tennis I can, especially in important moments.”
You can see his comments in the video below beginning at the 1:10 mark.
Sinner now punches his ticket to his first Wimbledon final, setting the stage for a highly-anticipated rematch with Carlos Alcaraz following a legendary Roland Garros final last month.
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