Novak Djokovic insists he plans to 'play Wimbledon at least one more time' despite 'wear and tear' on his body
Published 11/07/2025 at 21:17 GMT+1
Novak Djokovic insisted that despite "feeling the wear and tear" in his body, he plans to play at next year's Wimbledon and will continue to pursue an outright record 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian was dismantled by World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-final on Friday. Sinner will go on to play in Sunday's final against Carlos Alcaraz, with the game live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Novak Djokovic insisted that despite "feeling the wear and tear" in his body, he plans to play at next year’s Wimbledon.
The Serbian’s hopes of winning an outright record 25th Grand Slam title were dashed on Friday, as Jannik Sinner dismantled the 38-year-old 6-3 6-3 6-4 in their Wimbledon semi-final.
And while Djokovic admitted that age was finally catching up with him, he stressed he would play next year’s Wimbledon and continue to target the Grand Slams.
"I would be sad, but hopefully it's not my last match on the Centre Court," Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.
"I'm not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. So I'm planning to come back, definitely at least one more time, to play on Centre Court.
"I'm so fresh off the court, it's hard to put things in a larger perspective and say what the plan is for the next few months or a year.
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"I've put everything I possibly can when it comes to training and preparing myself, so I can play my best at Grand Slams. I think, regardless of the fact that I haven't won a Grand Slam this year, or last year, I still feel like I continue to play my best tennis at Grand Slams. Those are the tournaments that I care about at this stage of my career the most.
"I probably have to revisit everything and see with my team, with my family, how I want to proceed with my schedule and where I want to peak and how I want to train.
"I don't know what I can do differently, to be honest, because the amount of hours that I spend on a daily basis to take care of myself, I'd like to challenge everyone who is out there on the tour to see if anybody takes care of themselves more than me.
"And I, unfortunately, don't get rewarded for that right now, with injuries at the later stages of slams. But I was rewarded for many, many years."
During the Sinner encounter, Djokovic appeared to be feeling the effects of an injury sustained from a nasty slip in his quarter-final with Flavio Cobolli. The Serbian didn't train the day before his semi-final, while he was forced into a medical timeout between the match's second and third sets.
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"I don't think it's bad fortune," Djokovic continued. "It's just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I'm taking care of it, reality is hitting me right now. [It has been for the] last year and a half like never before, to be honest.
"It's tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I'm fresh, when I'm fit, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year.
"But I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically.
"The longer the tournament goes on the worse the condition gets. I have reached the final stages, I have reached the semis of every slam this year, but I have had to play Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz.
"These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I'm going into the match with a tank half empty. It's just not possible to win a match like that.
"It is what it is. It's one of these things I accept and embrace in some way, deal with the reality the way it is, and try to make the most out of it, I guess."
Watch the Wimbledon singles finals and daily 90-minute highlights shows live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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