Novak Djokovic exited a Grand Slam at the semifinal stage for the third time this season, falling short against Jannik Sinner once more.
Just five weeks ago, Djokovic lost to Sinner 4-6, 5-7, 6-7 in the semifinals of the French Open.
Looking for revenge at SW19, it wasn’t to be as Sinner defeated Djokovic in straight sets once again, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
At 38 years of age, it’s hard to imagine Djokovic will be around for much longer, although one former WTA star doesn’t think this is the last we will see of him at the All England Club.
Analysing his walk off the court, Laura Robson noticed something different about his demeanour, compared to what she saw in Paris recently.
Laura Robson thinks Novak Djokovic ‘wants another chance’ at Wimbledon after seeing him walk off court
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, Robson compared Djokovic’s exit from Centre Court to his exit from Court Philippe Chatrier in June.
“There was more of a lingering goodbye at Roland Garros, a few weeks ago, he spent a bit more time on the court saying goodbye,” she said.
“But that actually felt like he plans to come back, that he wants another chance at this.”
Robson might be right, as Djokovic outlined his plans to return to Wimbledon in 2026 during his post-match press conference.
“I would be sad, but hopefully it’s not my last match on Centre Court,” he said.
“I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. I’m planning to come back, definitely at least one more time.”
Djokovic will be 39 at Wimbledon in 2026, two years older than Ken Rosewall was at the 1972 Australian Open when he became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title (37 years, 2 months), a record that stands to this day.
The Serb will need to find something from somewhere if he wants to avoid another defeat in 2026, as he looked some way off his younger rival in this year’s semifinal.
Pat Cash said ‘the damage was done’ in the first two sets for Novak Djokovic
It’s tough to gauge whether it was a blistering start from Sinner or a slow start from Djokovic, as the Italian eased into a 6-3, 6-3 lead.
Briefly showing signs of life in the third, Djokovic led 3-0, but won just one more game, as Sinner came through to win 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Sharing his thoughts after the match, 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash suggested the ‘damage’ was done in those opening two sets.
“Yeah, it was a bit unfortunate, it looked like the damage had been done by two blistering sets by [Jannik] Sinner,” he said.
“Novak [Djokovic] struggled after that, but incredible the standard of tennis that Sinner brought out in the first two sets, just an hour wasn’t it, it was something else, full credit to him.
“It was sad that Novak couldn’t reach the level we were hoping for; we were all looking for an incredible four/five-set battle, but that’s sport for you.”
The Serb just couldn’t compete with Sinner on Centre Court, largely due to his troubles on second serve points.
Winning just 17% of his points behind his second serve to Sinner’s 71%, Djokovic never really stood a chance of beating the world number one.
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| Jannik Sinner | 12 | 2 | 74% | 81% | 71% |
| Novak Djokovic | 12 | 0 | 67% | 77% | 17% |
Perhaps the outcome of the match would have been different if Djokovic had been more convincing on second serve points, but the reality is, we will never know.
For Djokovic, it’s now time to rest and recover before he takes a trip to North America for the US hard-court swing.
There’s still work to be done for Sinner in London, however, as he now prepares to take on Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
Sinner and Alcaraz will battle it out for the 2025 Wimbledon title on Sunday, July 13.
