Novak Djokovic has conceded this summer’s Wimbledon could be his “last dance” in tennis and that it may well be his final shot at a 25th grand slam title.
The Serb arrives in SW19 as a seven-time Wimbledon champion but has been unsuccessful in his last six slams as age finally catches up with him.
With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner the favourites, Djokovic is an outside bet for the title this year and asked whether the British tournament could be his “last dance”, the 38-year-old was hesitant to say so but admitted it was his best chance at number 25.
“Whether it could be my last dance, I’m not sure, as I’m not sure about Roland Garros or any other slam that I play next,” he told media at Wimbledon.
“My wish is to play for several more years. I would love to be healthy physically and also mentally motivated to keep on playing at the highest level. That’s the goal, but you never know at this stage.
“And yes, I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to, yeah, perform the best tennis at the highest level.”
Despite a crowd that was initially cold to him, Wimbledon has become Djokovic’s favourite slam of the year and he said he had a great “emotional and mental relationship” with the tournament.
“It’s great to be back. I love Wimbledon. I’ve always loved it. Always dreamt of playing the Centre Court and winning it,” he recalled.
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“I think in the last six editions, I had six finals. Been for one reason or several reasons playing very well in Wimbledon, maybe most consistently successful Grand Slam for me in the last 10 years.
“It’s definitely connected to that emotional and mental relationship that I have with Wimbledon since the earliest stages of my tennis career where, as I said, I always dreamed of winning it.
“When I come here, I feel extra inspired to deliver the best tennis. We all know the tradition and the heritage and the culture of this wonderful tournament that has sustained that for so many years.
“It’s so impressive every single time you walk into this premises. You feel that beautiful tradition.”
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