Djokovic reflects on the toll of age and injury as he battles rising stars in Grand Slams. after losing to Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon

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@Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon journey concluded on Friday with a straight-sets defeat to Jannik Sinner. The 38-year-old struggled physically throughout the match, still feeling the effects of a fall during his quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli. Sinner capitalized on Djokovic’s limited mobility, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first Wimbledon final.

Physical Struggles Take Their Toll

Djokovic admitted post-match that he was significantly compromised. He described the experience on court as unpleasant and refrained from detailing his injury, instead choosing to praise Sinner’s performance. The Serbian star expressed disappointment in his inability to move as well as he had hoped, a factor that clearly influenced the outcome.

Djokovic commented: “Honestly, it wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court. I don’t want to talk, in details, about my injury and just 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.

“I do feel disappointed that I just wasn’t able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would.”

A Grueling Season of Grand Slams

This marks Djokovic’s third consecutive semi-final exit at a Grand Slam in 2025. He retired against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open and fell to Sinner again at Roland Garros. Despite strong early-round performances, the physical demands of best-of-five matches have proven increasingly difficult for him to manage.

Age and Wear Begin to Show

Djokovic reflected candidly on the challenges of aging in elite tennis. He acknowledged the wear and tear on his body, noting that the past year and a half has been particularly tough. While he still believes in his ability to play high-level tennis when fit, he admitted that maintaining peak condition deep into tournaments has become a struggle.

Facing the New Generation

With rising stars like Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dominating the sport, Djokovic finds himself up against younger, sharper opponents in the final stages of major tournaments. He described entering matches with “tank half empty,” a metaphor for the physical disadvantage he now faces. Despite the setbacks, Djokovic remains determined and has not ruled out a return to Wimbledon next year.

Sinner in Wimbledon, ranking, and results in 2025

Jannik Sinner

60 - 8win/loss

Hard
25-4
I Hard
15-1
Clay
12-2
Grass
8-1
24 year old
WWWWWWWWWW
2025 Highlights

At the moment ranked no.1, Jannik has achieved an overall 25-3 win-loss record in 2025. Jannik is currently competing in Wimbledon where he conquered the world no.95 Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0, the world no.93 Aleksandar Vukic 6-1 6-1 6-3, the world no.52 Pedro Martinez Portero 6-1 6-3 6-1, the world no.21 Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 5-7 2-2 ret., the world no.10 Ben Shelton 7-6(2) 6-4 6-4 and the world no.6 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 6-4.

Jannik Sinner will compete against the world no.2 Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The head to head is 9-4 for Alcaraz.

Jannik has won 1 title in 2025 at the Australian Open. Sinner got to the final in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) and at the French Open.

The Italian won 20 titles in his career: 10 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 8 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)

Sinner
Wimbledon
Sinner's Record
Sinner
Projected
Draw

Novak Djokovic in 2025

Novak Djokovic

42 - 15win/loss

Hard
22-9
I Hard
5-0
Clay
10-5
Grass
5-1
38 year old
WWWWWLWWWW
2025 Highlights

Now the world no.6, Djokovic played his last match on the 1st of January 1970 when he surrendered to world no.1 Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in Wimbledon (draw).

Currently, during this year the Serbian owns an overall 26-9 match record. Djokovic conquered 1 title in Geneva. Djokovic was the finalist in Miami.

Djokovic
Wimbledon
Djokovic's Record

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic played each other 10 times. Their current record is 6-4 for Sinner.