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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Kieran Jackson

Novak Djokovic refuses to rule out ‘last dance’ ahead of Wimbledon 2025

Novak Djokovic refused to rule out the prospect of this year’s Wimbledon being his “last dance” at the tournament.

The seven-time champion, who has lost in the final to Carlos Alcaraz in the last two years, has recently admitted he is unsure about his future in the sport beyond this season.

Djokovic, 38, is chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam but has only won two titles in the last 18 months. However, he did reach the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and French Open.

Yet speaking ahead of the 2025 Championships, Djokovic admitted he was unsure what the future holds.

“Whether it could be my last dance, I'm not sure,” he said on Saturday.

“I'm not sure about Roland Garros or any other slam that I play next. 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.”

Given his strong results in recent years on grass – he won four consecutive SW19 titles from 2018-2022 – Djokovic also stated Wimbledon is his best chance of claiming a 25th Grand Slam.

“I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had,” he said.

“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.

“This year, I played two semifinals. Unfortunately, in Australia I had to retire. In Roland Garros I was outplayed by Sinner. I think I still played a decent level of tennis that showed me that I can still play on a very high level at the later stages.

“That's what is also giving me an extra motivation to keep going. Let's see. I like the way I feel right now physically. Tennis-wise I've been playing good on the practice sessions. Obviously completely different when you start a tournament.”

Djokovic will open up his campaign on Tuesday against Alexandre Muller.

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