Djokovic — down but not-out, vows to carry on

To see small victories in defeats and not wallow in self pity are qualities that separate the greats from the ordinary.

Most players who would have received the kind of shellacking that Jannik Sinner gave Novak Djokovic in Friday’s Wimbledon semifinal – 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes – would have felt morose, incapable, and left to question their life choices.

But not Djokovic. He doffed his hat to the Italian World No. 1, accepted his inadequacies, located a few green shoots in his own game, and looked upbeat about the future.

When you are 39, every loss in a tournament is inevitably accompanied by a question on retirement. The Serb shut it down by saying that he would like to return to the All England Club “at least one more time.”

Hopeful

The principal reason behind Djokovic’s optimism is how he held up physically during the five-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime and recovered before the semifinal.

“That’s one of the best takeaways” Djokovic said. “Pretty much at every big tournament in the last two years, there was an injury. We collectively prepared this time and the team has done a good job with me.

“Game-wise, I felt like I played on a higher level overall in Australia. But Wimbledon was positive in terms of the attitude on the court, fighting spirit and dedication.”

Hungry and willing

The latest last-four appearance was Djokovic’s sixth in seven Slams. At the Australian Open, he even beat Sinner in the semifinal and fought Carlos Alcaraz toe-to-toe. But he isn’t satisfied.

“For 99% of the players, that would be very good; for me, it’s good but not good enough,” the 24-time Major winner stated. “Because I’m blessed and cursed to be used to the highest degree in terms of results and achievements.”

However, it is a tricky situation for someone who plays a limited schedule. To challenge for the biggest prizes, one needs to maintain a commensurate ranking, and Djokovic has kept his place in the ATP top-eight purely on the weight of his Slam results.

But one adverse outcome can spell doom. Under the 52-week ranking system, a player gains points from an event only if he betters previous year’s performance.

After Roland-Garros, Djokovic lost 630 points and dropped out of the top-four because he went out in the third round as compared to the semifinals in 2025.

He is No. 7 in the live rankings, but only 1375 points separate Auger-Aliassime at No. 4 from Taylor Fritz at No. 10. It is going to be an almighty jostle ahead of the US Open.

“When I’m healthy, I’m still able to play as a top-five player,” Djokovic insisted. “No one is forcing me to play. I do it because I really want to, and because I still can.”