Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon campaign has come to an end after losing in straight sets to a dominant Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
Sinner defeated Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court to advance to his first final at the All England Club, where he’ll face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serb looked as if age had finally caught up to him in his loss to the Italian and appeared to have been struggling with the groin injury he sustained in the quarter-final.
With his exit from Wimbledon, Djokovic’s shot at a record-breaking 25th major title will have to wait until the US Open later this summer.
At 38 years of age, however, American tennis legend John McEnroe thinks he may be having other thoughts about his near future.
John McEnroe questions Novak Djokovic’s future after he exits Wimbledon
As the match came to an end, McEnroe said on BBC: “We are going to pay our respect for the great Novak Djokovic, who battled despite being somewhat limited.
“He is going to have a lot of thinking over the next month or so. Does he look at is as if the reason I lost is because I was injured, is it just a combination?
“It’s the first time I have ever looked at him and thought I am not sure he is going to come back.
“That’s obviously up to him, he can play however long he wants, but I don’t know if he can accept being a notch or two below these guys and maybe someone else by the time next year comes around.”
Novak Djokovic’s potential last chance to become the all-time leader in major titles
Djokovic is currently tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles of any man or woman in tennis history.
He picked up his 24th at the US Open in 2023, where he tied Court for the record, and since then has suffered several near-misses in his pursuit of number 25.
Should he choose not to retire, Flushing Meadows is where his next opportunity comes to achieve the incredible feat, and it could well be his last.
As Sinner and Alcaraz continue to get better, the task of winning a Grand Slam title only gets tougher for Djokovic.
With his illustrious career coming to an end, the Serbian legend’s last chance at making history could be just around the corner.
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