Djokovic expects to be back at Wimbledon next year

Novak Djokovic said he expects to play Wimbledon "at least one more time" after the Serb's bid for an eighth All England Club title was shattered by Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Friday.

Djokovic, who will be 40 by the time Wimbledon starts next year, is still chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam triumph.

He suffered a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to world number one Sinner on Centre Court as he missed out on an 11th Wimbledon final.

"I would like to, at least one more time," Djokovic said when asked if he would be back at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Djokovic rolled back the years with an epic win over third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest Wimbledon quarter-final in history on Tuesday, but could not back up that performance against Sinner.

"I'm proud of what I achieved three nights ago," he said.

"Proven to myself and others that I can still play at the highest level, and I have.

"I reached the last four of Wimbledon. Losing in straight sets against the best player in the world, okay. It is what it is.

"It's the reality you have to accept. But the tournament was positive in terms of the attitude on the court, the fighting spirit, the dedication."

Djokovic, who last won Wimbledon in 2022, has not clinched a major title since the 2023 US Open.

He has suffered a string of near-misses in his bid to break out of a tie with Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list.

Djokovic lost in the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam events last year, while he was also beaten in the 2024 Wimbledon final and this year's Australian Open final by Carlos Alcaraz.

"I guess for 99 percent of the players, that would be a very good Grand Slam result," said Djokovic, who would become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open era if he could win another major.

"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.

"It's kind of that internal battle really of what I've been through for the 20-plus years of my career, what the goals were always, the expectations, and trying to balance it out and really be a little more humble in that sense."

Djokovic will now turn his attentions to the American hard-court season and the US Open, where he is a four-time champion and lost to Alcaraz in the 2025 semis.

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© Agence France-Presse