Did Novak Djokovic’s 20-year journey at the French Open come to an end on Friday night following his loss to Jannik Sinner?
This is the question many are asking after the former world No. 1 admitted that he may never play competitive tennis at Roland Garros again. Djokovic’s comments came shortly after his 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3), loss to top seed Sinner. Despite losing in straight sets, he was, without a doubt, the toughest test the world No. 1 has faced so far at Roland Garros in terms of intensity and the quality of tennis played.
Djokovic also relished in the support of the Parisian crowd, who cheered for him throughout the match. Emotions were high for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is unsure about what the future holds for him beyond this season.
“This could have been the last match ever I played here – I don’t know. That’s why it was a bit more emotional at the end,” Djokovic said of his exit from Court Philippe Chatrier.
“But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.”
At the age of 38, Djokovic has faced various questions about how much longer he plans to continue playing. He is currently the oldest player in the top 100 (Gael Monfils is also 38). Although he is still winning matches and captured his 100th ATP title in Geneva last month.
“I don’t know right now. Twelve months at this point in my career is quite a long time,” he said of his future.
“Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months’ time here again? I don’t know.
“That’s all I can say for the moment.”
Djokovic is a three-time champion at the French Open having lifted the trophy in 2017, 2021 and 2023. He has won 101 matches at the tournament, which makes him only the second player in history to have crossed the 100-win milestone. The other to do so is 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, who achieved 112 victories during his career.
It is unclear as to when the career of one of the most successful tennis players of all time will come to an end. Whilst there were hints of retirement during his press conference with English-speaking journalists, it was slightly different when speaking in his native language.
“It’s also the job of the media in a way, to ask questions, and more than necessary, to put me in a situation where I can talk about different scenarios,” Sport Klub quoted Djokovic as saying in Serbian about retirement.
“It’s not unusual, I’m used to it. It’s still an honour for me to be able to compete at a high level, I’m grateful to my body for still serving me, to play over three hours with guys who are 15 years younger than me.
“When I haven’t won a slam for a year and a half, then questions are asked whether it’s worth it and I’m competing for different reasons, and I’m a bit interested in what others think.
“Twelve months seems like a very long period to me at the moment, I’ll take about a week to ten days, I think I have a better chance of winning them on grass, the best.”
What is known for sure is that Djokovic intends to play both Wimbledon and the US Open this year. As it currently stands, he is not planning to play another tournament until the next Grand Slam but will participate in a couple of exhibition matches over the coming weeks.
Djokovic owns the all-time men’s records for the most appearances in Grand Slam quarter-finals (62), semi-finals (51) and finals (37), as well as the most titles won (24).
