EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWIMBLEDON, England -- Just moments after his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to defending champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals Friday, Novak Djokovic said he hopes to return to the tournament next year."I would like to, at least one more time," the 24-time major winner said during his postmatch news conference. "Let's see."It had been a lopsided outing on Centre Court, lasting 2 hours 30 minutes and becoming just the third completed match of Djokovic's Grand Slam career in which he failed to break serve.As has been the case for many of his major appearances in recent years, the 39-year-old Djokovic sparked retirement speculation as he left the court Friday with a heartfelt wave to the crowd.Djokovic didn't have many answers for the result, calling it a "good old blowout."Sinner was clinical in his takedown of the seventh-seeded Djokovic. He faced just one break point, in the third set, and responded with an ace."I was just half-a-step late basically in any shot ... it's very simple as that," Djokovic said. "He was just a level or more better than I was. I was just ... not sharp enough, not reactive enough, not balanced enough to play him. That's it. There's not much I could do on the court."On Tuesday night, Djokovic had been in vintage form in defeating No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a marathon five-set thriller that lasted 5 hours 15 minutes, the longest quarterfinal in tournament history.Djokovic, a seven-time champion at the All England Club, called it "one of the best matches" he had ever been a part of at Wimbledon.He reiterated a similar sentiment Friday and said it proved to himself and others that he "can still play at the highest level."Djokovic has been seeking his record-breaking 25th major title since winning his last Slam at the 2023 US Open. Since then, he has been largely stopped by the dominant duo of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz -- who have combined to win every Slam since, with the exception of last month's French Open.The Serbian, who admitted it was a blessing and a curse to be in his position having won so much during his career, said he was happy to have not sustained any injuries during the fortnight. He said this was the first major in two years he managed to stay healthy throughout.He called that one of the "best takeaways" from the tournament.When asked if winning titles still remains his primary goal at this stage, Djokovic was introspective and said that was only part of what keeps him going in the sport."Of course, I still enjoy the thrill of competition," he said. "I feel when I'm healthy, I'm still able to play as a top-five player, still able to compete at the highest level. I like it. I like this life. I mean, tennis has given me everything in my life and has allowed me an opportunity to become who I am."At the same time ... of course there's always a question how far you want to go, what you want to play, how you want to play, etc. I go through that process, but I try to take it, in a sense, a day at a time, see how I really feel. I don't have any pressure or 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-five player. Yeah, let's see what's future brings."
