"It's sad to lose, but hopefully this isn't my last match on Centre Court," Djokovic said after the match on 11/7. "I don't intend to end my grass court career today. I still want to play at Wimbledon's Centre Court."

Djokovic waves to the crowd after the Wimbledon semifinal on Centre Court at the All England Club, London, England on 11/7. Photo: Reuters

The injury from the quarterfinal match against Flavio Cobolli weakened the Serbian player in the semifinal against world number one Jannik Sinner - an opponent 15 years his junior. Djokovic had trouble moving and with almost every shot, except his serve. He played poorly, quickly losing 3-6, 3-6, 4-6 in less than two hours.

"Honestly, the feeling on the court wasn't really pleasant," Nole added about the impact of the fall two days earlier. "I'm really disappointed because I didn't move as well as expected. I don't want to go into details about the injury or complain about not being able to play at the highest level. I want to congratulate Sinner. He was too strong and deserves to be in the final."

The loss prevented Djokovic from extending his Grand Slam record to 25, or equaling Roger Federer's eight Wimbledon titles. "The problem lies in the wear and tear of the body. No matter how much I take care of it, the burden of age is catching up to me. I've really felt it in the past year and a half," Djokovic said. "It's difficult to accept because I feel that if I'm in good shape, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year."

Djokovic reached the semifinals in all three Grand Slams this year and lost them all. He retired against Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open semifinal, and lost to Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, both in straight sets.

"Playing five-set matches this year has been a real physical challenge for me," the 38-year-old continued. "The deeper I go in the tournament, the worse my physical condition becomes. I reached the semifinals of every Grand Slam this year, but I had to play against Sinner or Alcaraz. They are all young, talented, and sharp. I entered the matches feeling like I was only at half strength. You can't win in that condition."

Djokovic also said he doesn't lack the determination to conquer more Grand Slams, but his body often doesn't cooperate. The loss to Sinner was the Serbian player's eighth defeat in 34 matches this season. He has only won one tournament this year, on clay in Geneva - which marked Nole's 100th title. For the first time since 2017, Djokovic will not be in the Wimbledon final.

Vy Anh