Novak Djokovic’s shot at an eighth Wimbledon title will have to wait another year.
Djokovic, the No. 6 player in the world per the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), fell to No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, in the men’s singles semifinals on July 11. Sinner will face No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles finals on Sunday, July 13 in what might have been Novak’s 25th career Grand Slam title.
Throughout the set, Djokovic was seen in discomfort from his recent injury, which impacted his game on the grass court and caused those within the tennis world to wonder 2025 would be the final year he took Centre Court at Wimbledon.
Here’s the latest on his injury:
Novak Djokovic injury status
Meeting with assembled media at Wimbledon following his semifinal loss, Djokovic said it wasn’t pleasant to be on the court vs. Sinner as he played through his groin injury.
‘It wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court. I don’t want to talk (about) 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 said.
‘I do feel disappointed that I just wasn’t able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would.’
Asked further about having to push through another injury during a Grand Slam, Djokovic said it is just age, and ‘not bad fortune.’
‘I don’t think it’s bad fortune, it is just age. The wear and tear of the body as much as I’m taking care of it and the reality hits me right now, last year and a half like never before, to be honest,’ Djokovic said. ‘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 and I’ve proven that this year.
‘I guess playing best of five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, the worse the condition gets. … It is what it is. It’s one of these things that you just have to accept, embrace in some way, deal with the reality the way it is and try to make the most out of it.’
Novak Djokovic injury update
The 38-year-old Djokovic was dealing with a hip and groin injury in the Wimbledon semifinal matchup vs. Sinner on July 11.
He sustained the groin injury in the final game of his quarterfinal win over Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday, July 9 when he slipped on the baseline of the court at Wimbledon during a rally. Novak did mention in his post-quarterfinals news conference that he wouldn’t feel the impact of the injury until the next day. He ultimately canceled practice ahead of his semifinal match.
Djokovic even had to take an injury timeout during his semifinal match, in which ESPN’s cameras saw a member of his team trying to help him stretch.
Djokovic’s injury at Wimbledon comes after he had to pull himself out of his semifinal match at the 2025 Australian Open vs. Alexander Zverev due to a torn muscle in his left leg after just one set. As noted by the Associated Press, Djokovic’s decision to remove himself from the Australian Open marked the second time in what was then his last four major tournaments that he was unable to finish because of an injury.
Will Novak Djokovic play at Wimbledon again?
Asked whether the 2025 Wimbledon Championship would be his last one, the 24-time Grand Slam winner suggested he sees at least one trip to Wimbledon in his future.
‘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, plain and simple,’ Djokovic said.