Bye Bye folks: Djokovic hints he has said goodbye to French Open
Djokovic suggested he may well have bidden adieu to Roland Garros after the 38-year-old was defeated in the semifinals by Jannik Sinner.
Could Friday night have been the last time we have seen Novak Djokovic playing at the French Open?
Djokovic suggested he may well have bidden adieu to Roland Garros after the 38-year-old was defeated in the semifinals by Jannik Sinner, following his 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) loss to the world No 1.
Djokovic stopped on his way off Court Philippe Chatrier and took a moment to "show his gratitude" to the Paris crowd.
"This could have been the last match I ever played here, so I don't know. That's why I was a bit more emotional even in the end," the three-time champion Djokovic told AFP.
"But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.
Djokovic has on occasion, had a fraught relationship with the Parisian public, but hailed the backing he received against Sinner.
"I don't think I have ever received this much support in this stadium in my career in big matches against the best players in the world. So very, very honoured to experience that," he added.
When asked later on, Djokovic allayed fears he would be calling time on his career just yet, saying he was still in the hunt for major honours despite the obvious failing he has against opponents like Jannik; age.
He still stands on the brink of history after his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title was foiled. Wimbledon and the US Open stand in his way this year as he looks to take the record outright.
One more major victory would take him beyond Margaret Court (Currently tied at 24) and into outright first on the list of players with the most Grand Slams.
