Novak Djokovic has confirmed he wants to compete at least one more time after his Wimbledon semifinal exit on Friday.

On 11 July 2026, Djokovic lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals. The defeat marked his ninth loss in the last 12 matches against the sport’s top elite, including Carlos Alcaraz. Yet the seven-time Wimbledon champion still refuses to call time on his career.

What did Djokovic say about retirement?

After the match, Djokovic was asked if he plans to keep competing against the world’s best players. His answer did not surprise anyone. “I’d like to. At least one more time. Let’s see,” he said of a possible 2027 return to SW19.

Djokovic has not won a major title since the 2023 US Open. That drought is now the longest of his career. Still, he remains one of the best players on tour, consistently making deep runs at majors only to fall to Sinner or Alcaraz on the biggest stages.

How does Djokovic view his recent results?

Djokovic admitted his recent Slam results fall short of his own standards. “Last year I reached four semifinals,” he said. “This year, out of three Slams, I reached one final and one semifinal. For 99% of players, that would be a very good Grand Slam result. For me, it’s not good enough.”

He called it an “internal battle.” The 39-year-old has higher expectations of himself than fans and critics. “I always have the highest expectations for myself,” he added. “It’s kind of that internal battle of what I’ve been through for 20-plus years of my career, what the goals were, the expectations… and trying to also balance it out and trying to be a bit more humble in that sense.”

What’s next for Djokovic?

Djokovic is expected to play the upcoming US Open. It remains unclear if he will contest the entire hard-court swing leading to Flushing Meadows. The swing begins with ATP 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati before the final major of the year.

The 24-time major champion insists he still enjoys the thrill of competition. “Maybe I don’t enjoy all the hard weeks leading up to big tournaments, putting myself over and over again through a lot of pain, physically mostly,” he said. “I’m glad that this tournament the body held pretty well.”