“Novak, remember you’re the G.O.A.T. [greatest of all time],” shouted a Centre Court fan as Novak Djokovic trailed in the third set of the Wimbledon 2026 semi-final.
The Olympic champion was up against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the second year running at this stage of the Championships, and with echoes of déjà vu, it was the Italian who prevailed in straight sets on Friday (10 July).
Down two sets to love after an hour and a half, the odds were slim for a Djokovic comeback purely on the cumulative ‘total time on court’ clock. Before the semi-final, the 39-year-old had played almost four hours longer than Alexander Zverev, a finalist on Sunday, and three more than Sinner.
“Of course, I’m disappointed. Of course, I wanted to win Wimbledon. That’s the reason why I’m still pushing myself so hard,” Djokovic told the media after his loss. “But I just lost to a better player. I have to accept it… Once you get out of the court, it’s a tough one to accept. But it is what it is.”
For four years in succession, the new guard of men’s tennis has denied Djokovic at the All England Club. In 2023 and 2024, it was Carlos Alcaraz at the final hurdle. In 2025 and now this year, Sinner has stood in his way in the final four. Djokovic had lost consecutive major semi-finals at every Slam except Wimbledon – until now.
He continued: “Last year I reached four semi-finals. This year, out of three Slams, I reached one final [at the Australian Open] and one semi-final. I guess for 99 per cent of the players, that would be a very good Grand Slam result. For me, it’s good but not good enough, because I’m blessed and cursed to be used to something of the highest degree in terms of results and achievements.”
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Wimbledon 2026 – Novak Djokovic ‘sick’ of 25th Grand Slam expectations
Djokovic will be 40 years old by the time of the next Wimbledon Championships in 2027, as the seven-time singles champion is still knocking on the door of the upper echelon of tennis.
He knows it himself. The Serbian has won more Grand Slam titles (four) since turning 35 than Roger Federer (three) and Rafael Nadal (two) did, and you have to go back to July 2018 to find the last ATP rankings without the Olympic champion in the top 10.
“I would like to [come back] at least one more time: let’s see,” said Djokovic about playing at Wimbledon next year. “I feel when I’m healthy, I’m still able to play as a top-five player, still able to compete at the highest level. I like this life. Tennis has given me everything in my life and has allowed me an opportunity to become who I am.
“At the same time, of course there’s always a question of how far you want to go, what you want to play, how you want to play. I go through that process, but I try to take it, in a sense, a day at a time, see how I really feel. I don’t have any pressure; no one is forcing me to play. I do it because I really want to and because I still can.”
It was when Djokovic switched to his native Serbian (all players answer in their native language after taking English questions in a press conference) that he spoke with greater emotion of the occasion and expectations.
“People really want me to win the 25th Grand Slam – and I want to – but that’s not the ultimate goal,” he said in Serbian. “I’m sick of talking about when No. 25 will come, because maybe it never will.”
Djokovic is on 24 Grand Slam singles titles; one more would put him clear of Margaret Court’s joint record. He may be beaten at the All England Club, but if there is one thing that the 39-year-old does not know how to do, it is to give up. Next up: the U.S. Open, where the main draw begins on 30 August.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/wimbledon-2026-valiant-novak-djokovic-semi-final-reaction
