Crash! Bang! Boom! Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon dreams were brutally crushed by Jannik Sinner in Friday's semi-final, but the Serbian tennis legend has vowed to return to SW19 next year - at 40! The world No. 1 dispatched his idol 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a straight sets rout that left Djokovic conceding: "Losing in straight sets against the best player in the world is harsh reality-check." Yet, despite the bitter taste of defeat, he remains defiant and optimistic about his prospects.
Djokovic was generous in his praise for Sinner, acknowledging the Italian's superiority on the day. But he refused to wallow in despair, instead choosing to focus on the positives from his campaign - a campaign that saw him assert his dominance over world No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime in a gruelling five-hour quarter-final thriller.
When quizzed about his return to Wimbledon next year, Djokovic gave a resounding "yes" with a caveat: "I would like to, at least one more time." He's already got a taste of the top spot, having reached two finals and one semi-final in this year's majors. But for Djokovic, it's never enough - he wants that elusive Wimbledon title.
So what drives this tennis titan? "I still can play as a top-10, top-five player," he declared with conviction. "I wanted to win Wimbledon. That’s the reason why I’m still pushing myself so hard." The question now is: how long will he keep that fire burning?
Source: Wimbledon