Novak Djokovic said a heartfelt goodbye to the Paris crowd before leaving the court following his semifinal defeat in the French Open.
Before waving to the crowd, he bent to the clay on Court Philippe Chatrier’s plate and held his heart in his direction.
It was a player’s final goodbye, which turned 38 last month.
Or will it be “au revoir” until their next meeting is held next year?
Djokovic, the three-time champion, is unsure if he will make a comeback after losing to Jannik Sinner, the current world no. 1.
“I don’t know if this was the last game I ever played here.” That’s why the final scene was a little more emotional, Djokovic said.
As Djokovic attempted to advance one step further than the 25th major title, he received a lot of vocal support.
The Serb wanted to break the record for the most consecutive victories, as winning the Sunday final would have made him the oldest Grand Slam men’s singles champion.
However, he was unable to overthrow Sinner’s tenacious resistance, which he won 6-4, 7-5, 7-6, 7-3 to advance to the final against second seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic said, “I don’t know right now,” when asked about his potential future. Twelve months is a long time at this point in my career.
Do you want more of me to play? Yes, I do. But will I be able to return to this area for 12 months? I’m not sure.
Wimbledon and the US Open are planned, but rest is still “not so sure.”
Images courtesy of Getty
Questions over Djokovic’s endurance and motivation entering Roland Garros came after a patchy season by his high standards.
Even though rival-turned-coach Andy Murray did well after claiming his 100th ATP title at the Geneva Open, he did so in part because things weren’t working as expected.
Djokovic’s performance in the match against Sinner demonstrated his readiness to transition into retirement and highlighted his prioritization of the four majors in the latter stages of his career.
According to Djokovic, “Those tournaments are the top priorities on my schedule.”
Yes, there are plans for both the US Open and Wimbledon. All I can say at this moment is that.
“I want to play those two, undoubtedly,” she said. I’m not so sure about the rest.
After losing his previous two finals to Alcaraz, Djokovic will be competing for a record-equalling eighth men’s singles title at Wimbledon.
My childhood favorite tennis match was at Wimbledon. He continued, “I’m going to do everything I can to prepare.”
Djokovic is still a “high level” tennis player.
Djokovic, who turned professional in 2004, has already played 1, 375 matches.
But his signature fighting and physical condition kept him from trailblazer Sinner, 23, who has dominated the ATP Tour for the past 18 months.
Given that I wasn’t in great form at Roland Garros, he said, “I was proud of my effort tonight.”
Jannik “was just too good for me.”
In a three-hour long, entertaining contest, the two men pushed each other to their limits while competing head-to-head against one another.
After that, Sinner, who has won his previous 20 Grand Slam matches, called Djokovic’s level “amazing”.
The Italian continued, “I had to step up and play the best tennis I could.”
It confirms what a role model we all serve, especially for young players.
Hyacinth Alia, the governor of Benue State, claims that some prominent members of the National Assembly are to blame for the attacks in the state.
The governor made the claim during a Friday interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The governor stated that a judicial panel’s interim report, which he set up, charged numerous prominent names and pledged to take the matter seriously as soon as the full report comes out the week after he did not name the politicians.
Heimir Hallgrimsson, the manager of the Republic of Ireland, says he is taking the positives from Friday’s 1-1 draw with Senegal.
In the 21st minute, the excellent Kasey McAteer reacted the fastest after Yehvann Diouf saved his first header to give the Irish the lead.
Senegal, who had won 20 games before the friendly, scored from close range with nine minutes left when Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace equalized.
Hallgrimsson told RTE Sport, “I’m happy with the performance and there are a lot of positive things to take away from this.”
McAteer scored the opening goal for Leicester City in Dublin after the former Iceland manager gave his team the first start of the season.
On his first international start, Hallgrimsson praised the 23-year-old for “really good performances.”
He continued, “He showed a lot of confidence, took players on, and got the goal as a reward.”
“I’m very happy for him,” he declared.
In their final friendly before World Cup qualifying, the Irish will face Portugal, Hungary, and Armenia on Tuesday in a match against Luxembourg.
Hallgrimsson wants his team to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s friendly before their World Cup bid begins because they are currently unbeaten in three games.
We can play top teams, he said, which is the big benefit of this game.
“We disappointed that we didn’t win tonight’s game, and we occasionally made them appear like an average team.”
I’m mostly satisfied with how we handled their possession game because we made their chances score more goals, which is a top priority when you play strong opponents.
After losing to Lorenzo Musetti, Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic in a thrilling French Open semi-final on Friday, edging him into his first Grand Slam final.
In his first Roland Garros final, world number one Sinner defeated record-holder Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) to defeat Frenchman.
The 23-year-old Sinner praised him as the best player in the history of our sport, saying, “It’s amazing to play against him here.”
“Of course, I try not to think about this, but you can feel the tension before entering the court.”
On day 13 of the French Open tennis competition at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 6, 2025, Italy’s Jannik Sinner celebrates his men’s singles victory over Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF/AFP)
In a dramatic fight that lasted three hours and 16 minutes, Djokovic showed his signature fighting prowess, but his hopes of a comeback were ultimately undermined by three set points that were missed late in the third set.
Also read: Sabalenka Downs Swiatek As Gauff Ends Boisson’s French Open Run
Next month, the 38-year-old will make an attempt to claim a 25th Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon, breaking the previous record.
Alcaraz earlier made up his mind for Sunday’s final when Musetti’s fourth set, which included a leg injury, was interrupted by Musetti.
On day 13 of the French Open tennis competition, Novak Djokovic from Serbia plays Jannik Sinner against it in the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris, France, on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF/AFP)
Sinner, who hasn’t lost a set in the tournament yet, will be hoping to retaliate against Alcaraz after falling to the Spaniard in five sets in the semi-finals last year.
Alcaraz has won four of his matches against Sinner, winning the Italian Open final in May after Sinner resumed his three-month doping ban.
Let’s see what I can do, Sinner said, “Sunday will be very difficult because I know my head-to-head lately doesn’t look good against Carlos.”
In what appears to be a permanent changing of the guard, Djokovic’s exit ensures that Sinner or world number two Alcaraz will win a sixth successive major title.
The first Grand Slam final between two 2000-born men will be played.
Sinner and Alcaraz have never lost a major final.
The top two seeds will square off for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on Saturday in the first Grand Slam competition since the 2013 US Open, with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff facing off in the final.
Djokovic had opportunities, but Sinner consistently came out strong in the crucial moments, including when he broke right away after failing to serve the second set.
In the final 10th game of the third, the Italian fought off three set points in total, hitting 44 winners overall.
Musetti retires with injuries
When Italian Musetti called it quits due to a thigh injury, world number two Alcaraz was already leading 4-6, 7-6 (7 / 3, 6-0, 2-0).
The 22-year-old said, “It’s never great to go through or win a match when it’s this.”
He has had a fantastic clay season. I wish him the best of luck, a quick recovery, and a quick recovery.
In two days, Alcaraz will aim to claim his fifth Grand Slam.
He said, “It’s been three very difficult weeks, and I only have one step left.” I’ve been playing great tennis this tournament, and I’ll give it all on Sunday.
Before taking a one-set lead with a break in the tenth game, Musetti saved break points in the first and seventh games.
However, Musetti’s attempted passing shot into the net gave the Spaniard the lead into the second-set breaker, giving him the advantage to reach the third set point.
Musetti briefly received treatment on his left thigh after being unable to handle the force coming from the other side of the net in the third set.
Alcaraz continued to dominate the set, where Musetti, the eighth seed, only managed five points in 22 minutes.
Alcaraz thumped a forehand into the corner to give Musetti another break, and the 23-year-old immediately swung to the net to shake his opponent’s hand.
A man has been returned to the United States after being mistakenly deported by the Donald Trump administration, where authorities claim he will face criminal charges.
According to recently released court records, Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, who had lived for nearly half of his life in Maryland before being deported in March, is accused of transporting undocumented immigrants to the US.
Abrego Garcia was reinstated to the US on Friday, according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Despite a court order forbidding his removal, the indictment against him was filed on May 21 despite a court filing on May 21.
According to a report from the Department of Homeland Security, the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a 2022 traffic stop that suspected Abrego Garcia of human trafficking before ultimately issuing just a warning for an expired driver’s license.
A grand jury “found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring,” Bondi said at a press conference.
After American officials presented his government with an arrest warrant, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele agreed to have him return to the US.
In addition to the Trump plan to deport undocumented immigrants to the country’s Central American nation, Abrego Garcia was imprisoned in the country without the proper process, according to the president’s plan.
Bukele stated in a social media post that his administration cooperates with the Trump administration and would “of course” not decline requests to return a “gang member” to the US.
On Friday, June 6, at the Justice Department in Washington, DC, US Attorney General Pam Bondi addresses a press conference regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Deportation is a “distinct legal issue.”
According to Rosiland Jordan of Al Jazeera, Abrego Garcia could receive a fine of up to $2,500 and up to 10 years in federal prison if found guilty.
But “that does not address the ongoing issue of whether or not he should be deported,” she continued. That is a distinct legal issue.
Abrego Garcia will be able to contest the charges in court and in court. According to Bondi, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence.
Andrew Rossman, Abrego Garcia’s attorney, said it would now be up to the US government to ensure that he received fair treatment.
The administration simply refused to allow him to return, according to Rossman, a partner at the law firm Quinn Emanuel. “Today’s action proves what we’ve known for a long time,” Rossman said.
According to court documents, Abrego Garcia’s deportation defied an immigration judge’s 2019 order barring him from returning to El Salvador, where it was determined that he was likely to face gang persecution if he was.
Trump’s critics cited the false deportation as an example of the Republican president’s aggressive strategy of upholding deportations.
According to officials, Abrego Garcia was allegedly a member of the MS-13 gang. His attorneys have disputed his involvement in a gang and claimed that he has not been found guilty of any crime.
The executive branch and the judiciary, which have ruled against a number of Trump’s policies, have escalated in Abrego Garcia’s case.
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that the Trump administration had no basis for what she called Abrego Garcia’s “warrantless arrest,” and that the US Supreme Court had issued an order to facilitate his return.
