LONDON — Novak Djokovic wants to return to Wimbledon “at least one more time.” His next attempt at an eighth title in London will come in June 2027, when he turns 40.
The Serbian is fighting an internal battle: “I’m telling myself, look, this is amazing that you’re still able to play at such a high level and push the youngsters to the limit for Grand Slam titles. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself.”
Translated: what you are achieving at this age is extraordinary, but it is not enough.
Those “highest expectations” are nothing other than winning finals and engraving his name on the most important trophies. He won Olympic gold — the missing piece to complete the puzzle — but in two and a half seasons he has won “nothing” else. What he once achieved with regularity is now denied to him time and again by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the tour’s dominant forces.
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In 2025 he reached the semifinals at every Grand Slam. This year he played the Australian Open final and fell in the semifinals at the All England Club. “For 99% of the players, that would be a very good Grand Slam result.”
But it’s far from what he needs. “It’s good but not good enough, because I’m blessed and cursed to be used to something of the highest degree in terms of results and achievements,” he admitted after falling just short of the Wimbledon 2026 final. “I’m disappointed. Of course, I wanted to win Wimbledon. That’s the reason why I’m still pushing myself so hard,” he added minutes after walking off Centre Court in defeat.
The 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline in Sinner’s favour was another dose of reality. The Italian served with a hammer and gave him just one break opportunity, which the Serbian could not convert. Throughout the match, he was a couple of gears slower.
Djokovic’s analysis was precise: “You cannot attack his first serve. You can try to read it, chip it, block it, get it back in play. Very unpredictable serve, great variety, great balance. He’s using his height extremely well. Second serve very deep in the box, a lot of rotation — he can go for speed, he doesn’t make many double-faults. He’s just super solid. He backs it up with the first aggressive shot.”
A journalist had asked him beforehand to explain how he dealt with his opponent’s serve — he, who is “the best returner the game has ever seen.”
“Was, was,” Djokovic interrupted with a smile.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is under no illusions: “That is the reality. I was.”
How long can Djokovic keep playing without being able to get his hands on the trophies?
“I don’t have any pressure — no one is forcing me to play. I do it because I really want to and because I still can. I still can play as a top-10, top-5 player.”
