Novak Djokovic Drops Major Retirement Hint After French Open Heartbreak

Novak Djokovic's trophy-less run in Grand Slam events continues after his defeat in the French Open semifinal against Jannik Sinner.

Novak Djokovic Drops Major Retirement Hint After French Open Heartbreak

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/We Are Tennis France)

Did Novak Djokovic play his last match at Roland Garros? Maybe, and maybe not. At present, even Djokovic is uncertain about it.

On Friday (June 6), Djokovic was up against World No.1 Jannik Sinner and the match was what one expected it to be. Sinner has been in red-hot form and so has Djokovic, for he produced dominating performances in his previous five matches, including against last year’s French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Even though the semifinal ended in favor of Sinner in straight sets, it was not the bagels and breadstick affair, because for each point, he had to exert himself. The first set ended in 48 minutes, while the second took 73 minutes, and the third lasted for 75 minutes.

In the three-hour, 19-minute battle, Sinner couldn’t afford to drop his level or lose control of the rallies. Both he and Djokovic forced each other to cover all the ground with the latter occasionally hitting a backhand drop shot in his attempt to make Sinner sprint forward and lose the ball.

After losing the match, Djokovic packed his bag to leave, while the fans on Court Philippe-Chatrier gave him a standing ovation. Djokovic stopped and expressed his gratitude by raising his arms up and folding his hands before kissing the clay and leaving the court, maybe, for the last time.

I don’t know right now. 12 months at this point in my career is quite a long time. Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months’ time here again? I don’t know. That’s all I can say for the moment.

Novak Djokovic said at the press conference

Djokovic’s 23-match winning streak at Roland Garros was also ended by Sinner. Before this semifinal, the last time the Serb faced a defeat at the venue was in the 2022 French Open quarterfinal against Rafael Nadal. In 2024, he pulled out of the quarterfinals due to an injury but about a couple of months later, he took home his career’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics, which was held at Roland Garros.

Jannik Sinner makes his feelings known on Novak Djokovic’s retirement hints

Novak Djokovic‘s press conference was held about 20 minutes before it was Jannik Sinner’s turn to complete his media duties. The young Italian was made aware of what Djokovic said regarding his being unsure about his return to the clay-court Major the next year. Sinner stated that tennis needs a player like Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner
Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner HQ)

I saw him practicing a couple of days ago. He’s very precise in everything he does. He’s a true role model for all of us. If that’s the case, I’m happy to be part of this. Because it’s a part of history also. Also for me, it’s nice to be part of this. Let’s hope it’s not the case. He said maybe, so you never know.

Sinner, who has now become a French Open finalist for the first time, has another tough task in front of him. To bag the French Open, he has to go past Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, who received a walkover from Lorenzo Musetti.

Last year, Sinner’s run in the clay-court Major was hampered by the Spaniard after a five-set thriller in the semifinals. Alcaraz will be the favorite to win, given that he has 10 clay-court titles under his belt and he also has clinched four consecutive wins over Sinner to improve his head-to-head record to 7-4.

The four-time Grand Slam champion also holds a 2-1 win-loss record over Sinner on clay, after his recent victory in the Italian Open final. This will be the first time Sinner and Alcaraz will face each other in a Grand Slam final.

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