LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Novak Djokovic said the reality of his age was hitting him “like never before” after he was crushed by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday.
The Serbian seven-time champion was demolished 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court and will be missing from the final at the All England Club for the first time since 2017.
The 38-year-old was aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown, which would have pulled him level with Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s titles.
He appeared limited in his movements against his 23-year-old opponent, who will face two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final, and admitted afterwards that he had struggled.
Djokovic fell awkwardly late in his quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli, sustaining a leg injury.
“It wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court,” he said.
“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.”
Djokovic was forced to pull out of the Australian Open after just one set of his semi-final against Alexander Zverev earlier this year after suffering a muscle tear.
But he denied he was suffering bad fortune.
“It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body,” he said.
“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.”