Novak Djokovic Clears The Air On Retirement After Wimbledon Exit: 'I Still Can'

Last Updated:July 11, 2026, 08:18 IST

Novak Djokovic says he still believes he can compete with the world's best and hopes to return to Wimbledon, insisting there's no pressure to continue playing tennis.

Novak Djokovic insists his Wimbledon story isn’t over just yet.

The 39-year-old says he hopes to return to the All England Club “at least one more time" despite seeing his latest bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title come to an end with a straight-sets defeat to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Djokovic has now spent the last two years chasing the elusive milestone that would move him clear of every man and woman in tennis history. Earlier this season, he defeated Sinner en route to the Australian Open final before losing to Carlos Alcaraz, while Wimbledon had widely been viewed as his best remaining opportunity to add another major title.

“I would like to [return to Wimbledon], at least one more time. Let’s see," Djokovic said.

‘Good, But Not Good Enough’

Despite falling short of another Grand Slam, Djokovic has remained remarkably consistent. He reached the semi-finals of all four majors in 2025 and has already added another final and semi-final this season ahead of next month’s US Open.

“I guess for 99 per cent of the players, that would be a very good [set of] Grand Slam results," he said.

“For me, 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 balancing expectations has become one of the biggest challenges of this stage of his career.

“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."

‘I Still Can’

Djokovic’s route to the semi-finals was anything but straightforward. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, Arthur Rinderknech, Roman Safiullin and survived a thrilling five-set quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime before running into an inspired Sinner.

“I’m proud of what I achieved three nights ago," Djokovic said. “I have proven to myself and others that I can still play at the highest level."

While accepting Sinner was simply the better player on the day, Djokovic took plenty of positives from the fortnight.

“Losing in straight sets against the best player in the world, okay. It is what it is. It’s the reality you have to accept. But the tournament was positive in terms of the attitude on the court, the fighting spirit, the dedication."

About the Author

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

News sports tennis Novak Djokovic Clears The Air On Retirement After Wimbledon Exit: 'I Still Can'

Read More