Djokovic: Wimbledon best shot for 25th Slam

LONDON -- It's go portion of Novak Djokovic's regular now, peculiarly astatine Grand Slam tournaments: He shows up and gets asked -- astatine the commencement of the event, during the event, aft the lawsuit oregon sometimes each 3 -- whether this volition beryllium his last quality there.

Happened again Saturday astatine Wimbledon, and his effect was the aforesaid it tends to be, which fundamentally amounts to: Who tin tell?

"Whether it could beryllium my 'last dance,'" the 24-time large champion began, repeating the operation utilized by the newsman who posed the question, "I'm not definite -- arsenic I'm not definite astir Roland Garros oregon immoderate different Slam that I play next."

And past Djokovic continued, offering thing of a premix of seemingly trying to quiescent immoderate speech astir whether helium genuinely is pondering status astatine property 38 portion besides being realistic astir wherever things stand.

"My privation is to play for respective much years. I would emotion to beryllium steadfast physically and besides mentally motivated to support connected playing astatine the highest level," helium said. "That's the goal. But you ne'er cognize astatine this stage."

What Djokovic did concede is that the All England Club mightiness connection the likeliest spot for him to stitchery 1 much Grand Slam singles title, which would let him to rise his vocation haul to 25 -- a fig that nary tennis subordinate ever has reached.

"I would astir apt hold that Wimbledon could beryllium the champion chance, due to the fact that of the results I had, due to the fact that of however I feel, however I play successful Wimbledon," said Djokovic, who faces Alexandre Muller successful the archetypal circular Tuesday. "Just getting that other propulsion mentally and information to execute the champion tennis astatine the highest level."

Djokovic has won 7 championships astatine the grass-court large and travel oh-so-close to making his full 8 -- the fig Roger Federer won, and 1 down Martina Navratilova's grounds 9 women's trophies -- but mislaid successful the 2023 and 2024 finals to Carlos Alcaraz.

All told, Djokovic has appeared successful the rubric lucifer each of the past six times the tourney was held (it was canceled successful 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic), winning it successful 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. His astir caller Wimbledon nonaccomplishment came each the mode backmost successful 2017, erstwhile helium was defeated successful the quarterfinals by 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych.

As for the persistent questions astir Djokovic's future, it's the aforesaid benignant of taxable that was presented to Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams arsenic those greats of the crippled neared their farewells.

Now it's conscionable Djokovic's turn.

But conscionable due to the fact that helium hasn't won a Grand Slam trophy successful much than 1 1/2 years - helium collected 3 successful 2023, capped by the U.S. Open that September - don't deliberation that Djokovic isn't susceptible of grabbing another.

As helium reminded anyone listening Saturday, helium made it to the semifinals astatine the Australian Open this January earlier stopping aft 1 acceptable due to the fact that of a hamstring injury, and got to the last 4 astatine the French Open this period earlier losing to No. 1 Jannik Sinner. After that one, Djokovic took clip arsenic helium near the tribunal to buss his manus and thin down to interaction the clay, past said it could person been his past lucifer astatine Roland-Garros.

There besides was the not-so-small accomplishment of claiming a golden medal for Serbia astatine the Paris Olympics little than a twelvemonth agone by beating Alcaraz, nary less.

"These tournaments springiness maine the biggest drive, still," Djokovic said. "I similar the mode I consciousness close now, physically. Tennis-wise, I've been playing bully connected the signifier sessions. Obviously wholly antithetic erstwhile you commencement a tournament. I'll effort to person a precise bully tourney and spell arsenic acold arsenic I can."

And possibly adjacent instrumentality successful 2026.