Novak Djokovic may soon be looking to life after tennis after his latest Wimbledon dream came to an end in familiar fashion, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski now predicting his last change to win a 25th Grand Slam title has come and gone.
Djokovic was well beaten by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in what he openly admitted was a one-sided semi-final, in what was a repeat of the 2025 clash between the two players at the same stage of Wimbledon.
The Serbian legend will be 40 by the time he next gets a chance to play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court and there is no evidence to suggest he will fare any better against Sinner in a rematch a year from now.
That has inspired Rusedski to conclude Djokovic’s last big chance to win what would be a record breaking 25th major title may now have gone, with Sinner dominant at the top of the rankings and Carlos Alcaraz set to return to action ahead of the US Open next month.
Speaking on the latest edition of his podcast, Rusedski reflected on his belief that Djokovic may now struggle to get past Sinner and Alcaraz to win another Grand Slam, as he suggested good fortune may be needed to get him over the line.
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“He needs a lot more luck,” declared Rusedski. “I think Alcaraz being out this Wimbledon was huge for him.
“I don’t know if he’s gonna win a 25th Slam now. I think this was possibly his last chance. But of course he should continue playing, stranger things have happened.
“I think Jimmy Connors was quoted as saying, stop asking the guy about retiring. The guy’s playing unbelievable. He made the Australian Open Finals beating Sinner earlier this year, semis of Wimbledon. That’s better than 99.9% of people’s careers, those two two results. So if Djokovic wants to keep playing, keep playing.
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“I’ve gotten it wrong many times, but there’s not many 39-year-old plus people who win majors.
“And it kind of feels like, he can go semis, possibly a final. But to get over the final hurdle now, it feels like that next generation’s establishing himself. Alexander Zverev’s just shown up to the party. The way he served these two weeks at Wimbledon was frightening.
“Felix Auger-Aliassime has impressed me the last two majors. Physically getting there, he’s improving. He’s on the cusp of getting in the party. So I think right now there’s maybe a few too many guys when Novak gets to semis quarters or finals. I don’t know if he’ll have enough physically in the tank.
“That’s the problem. You have to go back to back against two of the hottest players at the tournament, even if it Carlos Alcaraz isn’t there.
“Nothing but respect for Novak. He’s the GOAT, without question and and if he gets a 25 Slam, I will be happy to eat my words.”
Djokovic has been in New York this week hosting a star-studded premiere for an upcoming documentary on his remarkable life.
Tennis great John McEnroe, former boxing champion Mike Tyson and football giant Zlatan Ibrahimovic were among those in attendance for a series that will be released on Amazon Prime next month.
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