Novak Djokovic insists he would like to compete at Wimbledon ‘at least one more time’ after his semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner on Friday.
Bidding to win a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title, Djokovic saw his tournament come to a shuddering halt at the hands of the defending champion.
Sinner has not looked at his best so far at the All England Club, but raised his level superbly to crush Djokovic 6-4 6-4 6-4 in just under two and a half hours.
Djokovic, who turned 39 just two months ago, still regularly reaches the latter stages of Grand Slams but has not emerged victorious since the 2023 US Open.
But despite that, the Serbian insists he still wants to return to Wimbledon next year, but is unclear what the future holds beyond that.
‘I would like to, at least one more time,’ he said when asked if he will come back next year at age 40.
‘Let’s see.’
Djokovic was typically frank when asked about his performance, rejecting the notion that fatigue was an issue and insisting there was little he could have done against Sinner’s level of tennis.
‘It was a good old blowout,’ he joked. ‘Nothing much I could do.
‘I was just half a step late basically in any shot, so… It’s very simple as that. He was just a level or more better than I was.
‘I was just not sharp enough, not reactive enough, not balanced enough to play him. That’s it. There’s not much I could do on the court.’
Despite his age, Djokovic has still reached a final and a semi-final in two of this year’s three Grand Slams, but said appreciating those results against the backdrop of his storied career is still proving difficult.
‘In some way, I’m also dealing with myself in a sense that I’m telling myself, Look, this is amazing that you’re still able to play at such a high level and push the youngsters to the limit for Grand Slam titles, which is true,’ he said.
‘But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself. So yeah, it’s kind of that internal battle really of what I’ve been through for the 20-plus years of my career, what the goals were always, the expectations, and trying to balance it out and really be a little more humble in that sense.
‘Of course, I still enjoy the thrill of competition. Tennis has given me everything in my life and has allowed me an opportunity to become who I am.
‘At the same time, you know, of course there’s always a question how far you want to go, what you want to play, how you want to play, et cetera, et cetera.
‘I go through that process, but I try to take it, in a sense, a day at a time, see how I really feel. I don’t have any pressure or no one is forcing me to play. I do it because I really want to and because I still can. I still can play as a top-10, top-5 player. Yeah, let’s see what the future brings.’
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