Novak Djokovic’s dream of winning a 25th Grand Slam title has been halted once again and the manner of his farewell to the Roland Garros crowd after his defeat against Jannik Sinner felt significant.
Djokovic toasted his 38th birthday last month and was bidding to become the oldest winner of a major title, but world No 1 Sinner has too much power and consistency for him to handle.
The veteran champion had set points to win the third set and he put Sinner under more pressure than anyone other than Carlos Alcaraz in an impressive display in front of a captivated Paris crowd.
Yet it was Sinner who prevailed, with his brand of brutal hitting from the back of the court finally allowing him to seal a 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3) victory.
“Well, first of all, thank you so much for coming and for supporting us, me and Novak,” said Sinner, as he addressed the crowd after the match.
“It was such a special occasion for me playing against Novak in a semi-final of a Grand Slam.
“It was so amazing, I had to step up and play the best tennis I could. It shows again what a role model for all of us, especially for young players.
“What he is doing is incredible. I wish him only the best for the rest of the season. We are so lucky to see him play high-level tennis.
“He achieved so many things. He is the best player in the history of our sport. Playing against him here is amazing.
“Of course, I tried not to think about this, but before you’re on court you feel the tension. I tried to prepare myself in the best possible way. I am very happy with how I did that.”
Looking ahead to his mouth-watering final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, he added: “My head-to-head lately doesn’t look great against Carlos, but let’s see what I can do.
“I am happy to be here in the final, and we will see what we can do.
“Of course, I enjoy these moments. These are rare and special moments in my career.
“This is a special place for me. Thank you for being so nice to me throughout the full tournament.”
Sinner and Alcaraz now appear to have a stranglehold on the men’s game and while Djokovic can only be admired for his refusal to accept his days of winning Grand Slam titles are over, it is increasingly hard to see him getting back these two young champions.
On a faster grass court, Djokovic may believe he would have a chance to turn this tight defeat into something more positive against Sinner.
Yet Alcaraz has had his number in the last two Wimbledon finals and with these two new stars of the men’s game rarely losing before the latter stages of majors, Djokovic will almost certainly need to beat both of them to win another Grand Slam.
That may explain why his wave to the Paris crowd as he left Court Philippe Chatrier was a little more lingering than normal, which left an impression that he felt it may be his last appearance at this tournament.
This performance confirmed he is still competitive against Sinner and that is commendable at this late stage of his career.
Yet too many more defeats like this may well signal the end for Djokovic, as the retirement finishing line draws ever closer.
