John McEnroe predicts whether Novak Djokovic will ever return to the French Open after defeat to Jannik Sinner

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Novak Djokovic was hoping to win his 25th Major title at the 2025 French Open.

Having struggled during the early months of the season, Djokovic sparked into life just before the French Open began.

After Djokovic won the Geneva Open, he travelled to Paris full of confidence, advancing to the quarterfinals without dropping a set.

There, the Serb faced his toughest test yet, coming up against Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who won the first set of their quarterfinal clash, 6-4.

Battling back as he so often does, Djokovic defeated Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, to set up a semi-final clash with the world number one.

Unfortunately, that was where the 38-year-old’s French Open journey came to an end, as Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets,

The world number six took longer than usual to leave the court after the match, as one ATP legend now questions whether he’ll return to Roland Garros in 2026.

John McEnroe is ‘not sure’ Novak Djokovic will return to the French Open in 2026

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, former world number one John McEnroe gave his verdict on Djokovic’s exit from Court Philippe Chatrier.

“He walked off the court like, we’re not sure if he’s going to be back. Maybe he’s not sure he’s going to be back,” he said.

“He talked about playing the Olympics in 2028. You know, he could keep going on and on. But you get sledge-hammered over the head with someone like [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz, the only two guys that have caused him to have to rethink, you know, how long he can or wants to go, because that’s when reality starts to set in, and he’s so used to winning, he’s the GOAT.”

McEnroe then looked ahead to the next Grand Slam event, previewing Djokovic’s chances at Wimbledon.

“He’s so consistent, but will he be able to accept that he can’t really beat these guys anymore?” he asked.

“That’s a big question. I’m going to wait a little bit before I decide what I think, because I think at Wimbledon, he’d have a better shot at beating Sinner than he did here.”

McEnroe’s brother, Patrick McEnroe, agreed and shared his thoughts on how much longer we’ll see Djokovic compete.

“I would agree. Yeah, I think at Wimbledon, I actually think this will give him a little bit more confidence, a little more mojo,” he said.

“But I think to your point, if he thinks he can’t beat these, remember, Alcaraz beat him up pretty good in the Wimbledon final. I know he was a little bit injured in that match.

“If that continues, these two guys, we may not be seeing him for that much longer, because I don’t think he’s going to stick around if he thinks he can’t win these tournaments.”

The seven-time Grand Slam winner finished off by praising the Serb, giving him credit for how he performed against the world number one.

“I mean, listen, he should do whatever he wants, but do you want to see him ten in the world, 15? I mean, if he kept going year after year and the body started breaking down, he’s still an extremely elite player,” said McEnroe.

“You can see why he’s won so much. You see the will, the determination, the skills that he has on the tennis court, you saw him test Sinner.

“Sinner played well. It’s not like he didn’t play well.”

Can Novak Djokovic bounce back and win Wimbledon in 2025?

The McEnroe brothers seem to think Djokovic will have a better shot at Grand Slam number 25 at the All England Club later in the summer, but do the numbers really back that up?

He has performed better in London than he has in Paris throughout his career, albeit not by much.

Djokovic has, however, been relentlessly consistent at SW19 and last failed to reach a final at the tournament in 2017.

He had won four in a row between 2018 and 2022 (No tournament played in 2021) before coming up short in the final in 2023 and 2024.

On both occasions, it was the young Spaniard who beat him, taking down Djokovic in a five-set thriller two years ago, before dominating him in 2024.

Losing his two previous finals, Djokovic will no doubt be looking to bounce back and add an eighth Wimbledon title to his collection in 2025.

He’ll be up against it, fighting off his younger rivals Alcaraz and Sinner, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that betting against Djokovic is a dangerous game.

The 2025 Wimbledon tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 30.