Novak Djokovic confirms retirement plan after Wimbledon heartbreak

Daily Mirror

12-07-2025

Novak Djokovic again came up short at Wimbledon as he lost in the semi-final on Friday to Jannik Sinner but the 38-year-old maintains he will be back at SW19 next year
Novak Djokovic insisted Friday's semi-final loss was not his final outing at Wimbledon as the 38-year-old maintained he plans to come back next year - but wasn't committing beyond that.
The Serbian has won the tournament in SW19 on seven occasions - only one shy of the record eight held by Roger Federer - but has struggled to mix it with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in more recent years.
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Djokovic has now lost his last five matches against Sinner. Rafael Nadal is the only other player to match that run, managing five in a row between the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Madrid Open in 2009 with the Italian having his number whilst Alcaraz outclassed the Serbian 12 months ago in the final.
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He's closing in on 40 and age is appearing to catch up with him and his body. A late slip in his quarter-final meant he was carrying an injury issue, which became apparent as the match went on against Sinner, but the 23-time Grand Slam winner was adamant he hadn't played on Centre Court for the final time.
Djokovic said: "I would be sad [if it was my last] but 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."
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The beaten semi-finalist confessed that he was struggling with his movement as the game against Sinner progressed, which was a frustration as he failed to put his best foot forward.
He said: "Honestly, wasn't really a pleasant feeling on the court. Yeah, I don't want to talk, in details, about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best. I want to congratulate Jannik for another great performance. That's it. He's in the finals. He was too strong. I do feel, yeah, disappointed that I just wasn't able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would."
Djokovic sung a different tune regarding his future at the French Open last month, where he also saw his hopes ended in the last four by Sinner. He is a three-time winner in Paris but confessed in the aftermath of the contest that he may have played on the clay for the final time.
He said: "This could have been the last match ever I played here - I don't know. That's why it was a bit more emotional at the end. But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd."
Pressed further on that he added: "I don't know right now. Twelve months at this point in my career is quite a long time. Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months' time here again? I don't know. That's all I can say for the moment."