LONDON: Novak Djokovic admits the older he gets, the harder it is for him to play against the world’s best after losing in the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
The former world No.1 was chasing after a historic 25th Grand Slam title and his eighth at The All England Club. However, he fell in straight sets to world No.1 Jannik Sinner, who is 15 years younger than him. During the match, Djokovic was far from his best physically and received treatment on the upper part of his left leg.
It is the second time this season that physical issues have hampered the Serbian at a major event. In January at the Australian Open, he was forced to retire from his last-four showdown against Alexander Zverev due to injury.
“Honestly, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling on the court,” Djokovic told reporters on Friday after playing Sinner.
“I don’t want to talk in detail about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best.
“I feel disappointed that I wasn’t able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would.”
Earlier this week, Djokovic slipped behind the baseline during his match against Flavio Cobolli, which he later described as a ‘nasty fall.’ He then opted to miss a practice session the following day, but was seen training on the courts on Friday morning.
Bitterly disappointed with the outcome of his latest Wimbledon bid, the former world No.1 refused to put it down to bad luck. Instead, he acknowledged that his age is also a factor.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune. It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, “ he explains.
“It’s tough for me to accept this because I feel like when I’m fit, I can still play really good tennis. I’ve proven that this year.
“But playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, the worse my condition gets.
“I reached the semis of every slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, and 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 a frustrating situation to be in for one of the sports’ all-time greats. He has achieved more than 1100 Tour-level wins, won 100 titles and has spent more weeks as world No.1 than any other player in history. These are just some of the records he has achieved during his career.
“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,” Djokovic commented.
This year is the 20th anniversary of Djokovic’s Wimbledon debut. His longevity in the sport has earned him a lot of admiration from his peers. Although he isn’t stepping away from the sport just yet.
“Hopefully it’s not my last match on the Centre Court. I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today,” Djokovic states.
“I’m planning to come back, definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure.”
To achieve that goal, he admits changes may need to be made to his schedule. Although Djokovic has insisted that he takes care of his body better than anybody else on the Tour, saying he ‘challenges’ everybody to find somebody who does so better than him.
“I’ve put everything I possibly can when it comes to training and preparing myself so I can play my best at Grand Slams,” Djokovic states.
“I’m just trying to make the maximum out of what I have left.
“It’s just that physical aspect that is bothering me. You’re there. You want to play. You’re determined. But then the body doesn’t want to listen. That’s it. That’s what you can say about it.”
Djokovic was playing in his 79th Grand Slam tournament.
