Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was knocked out in straight sets by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-final of Wimbledon 2025 on 11 July. The Serbian star, who was aiming for his eighth Wimbledon title, admitted that age and physical limitations played a big role in his defeat.
Djokovic sustained a leg injury during his quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli, which he said restricted his movement during the semi-final.
“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,” Djokovic said. “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.”
Djokovic pointed out that going up against physically sharp, younger players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is becoming increasingly challenging, especially in best-of-five matches.
“But I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes the worse the condition gets,” he explained.
“I reach the final stages, I reached the semis of every Slam this year, but 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. It’s just not possible to win a match like that,” he added.
When asked about his future plans, Djokovic confirmed that Wimbledon remains a major goal, regardless of not winning a Grand Slam title in the last two years.
“I think, regardless of the fact that I haven’t won a Grand Slam this year, or last year, I still feel like I continue to play my best tennis at Grand Slams. Those are the tournaments that I care about at this stage of my career the most,” he said.
Though he won’t be part of Sunday’s final, Djokovic weighed in with his prediction, naming Carlos Alcaraz as the slight favourite, but acknowledging that Sinner is in top form.
For more exciting articles, follow RevSportz.