Novak Djokovic confirms retirement plan after Wimbledon heartbreak
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.
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.
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."
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic makes stark admission after Wimbledon exit as record still eludes him
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."
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