‘Could be last match I play here’ – was that Djokovic’s goodbye to Paris?

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

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.

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, 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.