Novak Djokovic’s streak of Wimbledon final appearances has come to an end. For the first time since 2018, the Serbian star will not have a spot in the championship match at the All England Club.
No. 6 Djokovic bowed out to Italian, and world No. 1, Jannik Sinner in straight sets Friday 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was clearly hampered by an injury he suffered during the home stretch of his quarterfinal victory over No. 22 seed Flavio Cobolli two days earlier.
Djokovic slid and awkwardly fell during his second match point against Cobolli, nearly doing a split before collapsing forward momentarily. The 38-year-old finished the match and quickly punched his ticket to the semis. But he canceled his practice Thursday, a sign that he wasn’t 100% after the nasty tumble he took in the quarters.
Djokovic was asked in his post-match news conference Friday how physically compromised he felt during the semifinal head-to-head versus Sinner.
“Quite a bit,” Djokovic said. “It wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court. But I don’t want to talk in detail about my injury and 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.”
Djokovic added, though: “I do feel disappointed I wasn’t able to move as well as I thought or hoped I would.”
Normally dominant on grass, Djokovic — a seven-time Wimbledon champion — struggled to move side-to-side throughout Friday’s semifinal. Changing direction proved difficult for him, and he even limped after points.
A medical timeout between the second and third sets saw a trainer visit Djokovic, who received treatment on his upper-left leg. After that, Djokovic proceeded to win the next three games and came within a point of taking a 4-0 lead in the third set. But he ended up losing six of the last seven games.
Djokovic, still searching for his unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, has dealt with a series of injuries recently. In addition to his latest issue, he exited this year’s Australian Open after just one set in his semifinal match because of a torn hamstring. During the 2024 French Open, he had to withdraw before the quarters after he had torn the meniscus in his right knee, an injury that required surgery.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune. It’s just age,” Djokovic said Friday. “The wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now 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 and fit, I can still play very good tennis. I’ve proven that this year. Playing best of five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, the worse the condition gets. I reached the semis of every slam this year. I have to play Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, sharp. And I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win the match like that. It is what it is. It’s one of those things you just have to accept and embrace in some way, deal with reality the way it is and try to make the most out of it.”
Djokovic lost the previous two Wimbledon finals to Spain’s Alcaraz, the world No. 2. He’ll now watch Sinner and Alcaraz square off for the title Sunday in a highly-anticipated rematch of this year’s French Open.
Djokovic hopes to be back on Centre Court again. He’s planning on a Wimbledon return.
“I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today,” he said. “I’m planning to come back, definitely at least one more time.”