Novak Djokovic makes stark admission after Wimbledon exit as record still eludes him

Novak Djokovic admitted he was finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact that his advancing years are making his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title harder and harder. Djokovic was dumped out of Wimbledon in the semi-finals in straight sets by Jannik Sinner on Friday and was in a reflective mood afterwards.

The 23-year-old world No.1 came through 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 55 minutes to reach his first Wimbledon final. He is 15 years younger than Djokovic, who has seven Wimbledon titles to his name, but couldn't keep up with his younger opponent.

The Serbian has not won a Grand Slam since claiming three in 2023 and Sinner reaching this year's Wimbledon final, where he will face 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in a repeat of their epic French Open final, means the two of them will have shared the last seven Majors between them.

Djokovic is 38 and, although he remains steadfast in his decision to carry on chasing a 25th Grand Slam, which will be an outright record, he is realistic about his chances.

READ MORE: John McEnroe's 10-word line sums up Novak Djokovic struggles vs Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon

READ MORE: Wimbledon bosses red-faced after running out of WATER as calls for huge finals change grow

"I don't think it's bad fortune," he said. "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, like never before, to be honest.

"It's tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I'm fresh, when I'm fit, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year.

"But yeah, I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, yeah, the worse the condition gets. I reach the final stages, I reach the semis of every slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz.

"These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I'm going into the match with tank half empty. It's just not possible to win a match like that.

"It is what it is, you know? 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, I guess."

Asked if he'd be sad if it proved to be his last match on Centre Court, Djokovic replied: "I would be sad, but hopefully it's not my last match on the Centre Court. I'm not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. So I'm planning to come back definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure."

Djokovic was carrying an injury after hurting himself in the previous round against Alex de Minaur, but he didn't want to use it as an excuse. "Honestly, wasn't really a pleasant feeling on the court. Yeah, I don't want to talk, in details, about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best," he said.

"I want to congratulate Jannik for another great performance. That's it. He's in the finals. He was too strong. I do feel, yeah, disappointed that I just wasn't able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would."