Novak Djokovic suffered pain, both physical and emotional, in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday.
The emotional pain comes from another lost chance at his 25th career Grand Slam. Djokovic had made six straight Wimbledon finals until this year when he fell to Jannik Sinner in three sets.
The physical pain came from a groin injury he suffered in the second set which hampered him for the remainder of the match.
Djokovic, 38, addressed the injury in his postgame press conference, acknowledging his age plays a role in his declining physical form.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune. It’s just age. The wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now the last year and a half like never before to be honest,” Djokovic said.
“Playing best of 5 particularly this year has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes the worse the condition gets,” he added.
The Serbian could be seen talking with the physio between sets and pointing at the inside of his left quad. He had a noticeable limp and looked off-balance in moments throughout the match.
He revealed that Sinner apologized to him after the match for the unfortunate injury. Djokovic assured his opponent that there was nothing to be sorry about.
Chris Fowler and Patrick McEnroe ponder Novak Djokovic’s future as he nurses a groin injury in the Wimbledon semifinal on ESPN
Fowler: “(Recovery) is a huge commitment … It’s a question a lot of great champions have to ask themselves.”
McEnroe: “Maybe he still can win … I… pic.twitter.com/nfip3bwAUY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 11, 2025
“Obviously he’s done very well for himself today, and for the last year and a half he’s been the best player in the world. He’s gonna have a chance to win his first Wimbledon title,” Djokovic said.
The apology was a classy move from Sinner but it won’t alleviate the pain that Djokovic will face following the match.
Now as he prepares for the hard court season, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will have to dig deep to recover and find his form again.
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