{"id":54003,"date":"2025-06-07T01:43:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T01:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=54003"},"modified":"2025-06-07T03:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T03:36:08","slug":"jannik-sinner-gives-his-verdict-after-epic-roland-garros-battle-with-novak-djokovic-it-could-have-been-my-last-game-here-at-roland-garros-and-its-been-wonderful-because-never-before-had-peop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=54003","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic gives big retirement hint after Roland Garros defeat against Jannik Sinner..”It could have been my last game here at Roland Garros.” “And it’s been wonderful because never before had people cheered me on so much against a great rival” \ud83e\udd7a"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Jannik<\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Novak Djokovic\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Djokovic\u00a0toasted 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, first of all, thank you so much for coming and for supporting us, me and Novak,\u201d said Sinner, as he addressed the crowd after the match.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such a special occasion for me playing against Novak in a semi-final of a Grand Slam.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/canvas><\/canvas>\u201cHe achieved so many things. He is the best player in the history of our sport. Playing against him here is amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I tried not to think about this, but before you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to his mouth-watering final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, he added: \u201cMy head-to-head lately doesn\u2019t look great against Carlos, but let\u2019s see what I can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am happy to be here in the final, and we will see what we can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I enjoy these moments. These are rare and special moments in my career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a special place for me. Thank you for being so nice to me throughout the full tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinner and Alcaraz now appear to have a stranglehold on the men\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

On a faster grass court, Djokovic may believe he would have a chance to turn this tight defeat into something more positive against Sinner.<\/p>\n

Yet Alcaraz has had his number in the last two Wimbledon finals and with these two new stars of the men\u2019s game rarely losing before the latter stages of majors, Djokovic will almost certainly need to beat both of them to win another Grand Slam.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

This performance confirmed he is still competitive against Sinner and that is commendable at this late stage of his career.<\/p>\n

Yet too many more defeats like this may well signal the end for Djokovic, as the retirement finishing line draws ever closer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros Novak Djokovic\u2019s dream of winning a 25th Grand Slam title has been halted once again and the manner of… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nNovak Djokovic gives big retirement hint after Roland Garros defeat against Jannik Sinner.."It could have been my last game here at Roland Garros." 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