Novak Djokovic is arguably the greatest of all time in the sport of tennis, but even some of his best tennis in 2025 wasn’t enough on Friday. The 38-year-old legend came up short in the semifinals of the French Open against top-seeded Jannik Sinner in three tight sets, 6-4 7-5 7-6(3).
At his age, there’s no question that Djokovic’s career is winding down. Nobody knows when he is going to officially hang it up yet, but he took an extra long time to say goodbye to the Roland Garros crowd after the loss.
Legend. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/YtlMVCxpzJ
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2025
Djokovic confirmed the uncertainty after the match in his press conference, citing that he didn’t know if he would ever be back at Roland Garros, via Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.
“This could have been the last match ever I play here,” Djokovic said.
If that was it for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, he has certainly left his mark on the clay in Paris. He is a three-time Roland Garros champion, lifting the trophy in 2016, 2021 and 2023. He has recorded some of the most iconic victories in his career there, such as his 2021 title run that included an epic win over Rafael Nadal and a two sets to love comeback in the final to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic proved over the course of this tournament and on Friday that he still has the game to compete for the biggest titles in the sport. His offensive game has evolved even as his physicality has started to decline, but he was just not able to hang with the world’s best player in the long exchanges and on the biggest points.
This season, Djokovic has shown some signs that he may be winding down. After a promising run at the Australian Open as cut short by injury, the Serbian superstar made a run to the Miami Open final before losing to 19-year-old Jakub Mensik. However, that form did not carry over to the clay, as he lost his first match in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Djokovic rebounded, winning his 100th career ATP title in Geneva before this run to the semifinals at the French Open. He will now turn his attention to the grass courts at Wimbledon, which starts at the end of June, before heading back to the hard courts in preparation for the U.S. Open.
After the major season finishes up, there’s no telling what Djokovic’s schedule may look like.
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