Novak Djokovic bid farewell to the Roland Garros crowd on Saturday after his lost semi-final against Jannik Sinner. The 38-year-old Serbian tennis legend doubted afterwards whether he would return to the Paris clay.
After the match against Sinner, Djokovic paused for a moment on Court Philippe-Chatrier. He put his bags down on the crushed brick and greeted the audience, after which he bent over and touched the gravel.
Djokovic looked emotional and revealed why afterwards. “This could have been the last match I ever played here,” Djokovic said at the press conference. “I don’t know, but that’s why I was a bit more emotional at the end.”
“If this was my farewell match in Paris, it was great,” continued the 24-time Grand Slam winner. “I have never had so much support from the public. It was a great evening.”
Djokovic was close to his 25th Grand Slam title in Paris, but had to acknowledge his superior in world number one Jannik Sinner. The Italian was too strong for Djokovic in three sets: 6-4, 7-5 and 7-6 (3).
For now, Djokovic is focusing on Wimbledon, which starts June 30. “I think I have the greatest chance of winning another Grand Slam tournament there. The goal is to play at Wimbledon and the US Open, I still have to see about everything else. Twelve months is a very long time at this point in my career.”