Novak Djokovic walks off the court after losing his men’s singles semi-final at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic walks off the court after losing his men’s singles semi-final at Wimbledon against Jannik Sinner. (Getty Images)

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic , 38, was defeated by world number one Jannik Sinner in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday, acknowledging that age and physical limitations are impacting his performance more than ever before. Instead, Sinner, 23, will now face two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final. The Serbian tennis star was aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown that would have matched Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s titles at the All England Club. Djokovic appeared physically limited during the match, following a leg injury sustained during his quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli. “But I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes the worse the condition gets. I reach the final stages, I reached the semis of every Slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that. Regarding Sunday’s final, Djokovic offered his prediction.

This setback follows Djokovic’s withdrawal from the Australian Open earlier this year, where he suffered a muscle tear during his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.