Djokovic: 'Sinner stunned me with his playing style and the reality of his age'

After a quick three-set defeat to Jannik Sinner on the evening of July 11, Novak Djokovic shared his thoughts about the match and his thoughts at a press conference.

Djokovic still wants to appear at Wimbledon next year - Photo: REUTERS

"I'm sad, but hopefully this is not my last match on Centre Court," Novak Djokovic said in a press conference after his Wimbledon semi-final. "I don't intend to end my Wimbledon career today. So I will definitely come back, at least one more time to play on Centre Court."

However, it is difficult for Nole to see things as a whole, or to outline a long-term plan after the recent loss.

"I'm still so stunned after the match, it's hard to put things into perspective and talk about plans for the next few months or a year," he said.

Djokovic stressed his dedication to his career: "I have given everything I can in training and preparation to be able to play my best at the 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'm continuing to play my best tennis at the Grand Slams. Those are the tournaments that I'm most interested in at this stage of my career."

"I probably have to look at everything and with the team, with my family, see how I want to go about my schedule, where I want to peak and how I want to train," he said.

“Honestly, I don't know what else I could do, because of the amount of time I spend every day looking after myself. I would challenge anyone on tour to see if anyone takes better care of themselves than me.

And unfortunately, I don't get the reward for that now because of injuries in the final stages of the Grand Slams. But I've been rewarded for many years."

Djokovic was clearly feeling the effects of the injury he suffered in his quarterfinal clash with Flavio Cobolli during his match against Sinner. The Serb had not trained the day before the semi-final, and was forced to ask for a medical break between the second and third sets.

"I don't think it's bad luck," Djokovic continued. "It's just age, the wear and tear of the body. No matter how much I take care of it, reality is hitting me right now. This has been going on for about a year and a half."

Fitness is a big problem for Djokovic at the age of 38 - Photo: REUTERS

"It's been hard for me to accept that because I feel like when I'm fit, when I'm healthy, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year. But I guess playing five sets, especially this year, has been a really big physical struggle for me."

"The longer the tournament went on, the worse it got. I was in the final stages, I was in the semi-finals of every Grand Slam this year. And I was playing against Sinner or Alcaraz - guys who were fresh, young, sharp. I felt like I went into the match with half a tank of gas. It's impossible to win a match like that.

That's just the way it is. It's one of those things where I accept and embrace it in a way, face it and try to make the most of what I have."

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/djokovic-sinner-khien-toi-choang-vang-ve-loi-choi-lan-thuc-tai-tuo-tac-2025071207311841.htm