Novak Djokovic alluded to a potential retirement following his loss at the French Open on Friday.
Shortly after losing the semifinals against top-ranked Jannik Sinner, Djokovic paused and waved goodbye to the crowd while walking off the court.
Djokovic, 38, was uncertain about his future in tennis when speaking to reporters, saying that the match could be his final time at the Roland Garros.
“This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don’t know. That’s why I was a bit more emotional even in the end,” Djokovic told reporters. “If this was the farewell match of the Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.
“Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months’ time here again? I don’t know. That’s all I can say for the moment.”
The 24-time major champion had a hard-fought match against Sinner, but it was ultimately not enough as the Italian beat Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (3).
“[It] was a straight-set loss, but I feel like I did give him a run for his money, so to say,” Djokovic said. “I tried to make him work till the last shot. I did what I could. This is sport. You have to just shake the hand of the better player and move on.
“I must say that I was proud of my effort tonight [and] in this tournament, considering I wasn’t in great form coming into Roland Garros, but he was just too good for me tonight.”
Friday’s match marks Jannik’s fourth consecutive victory against Djokovic, with the Serbian now trailing the 23-year-old 4-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“Jannik is the kind of player who loves to play [at a] very fast pace the entire match. He’s very physical. He’s very fit, and he’s striking the ball incredibly well,” Djokovic said. “He seems to always be on good timing. Rarely he’s off-balance, and he’s just playing the tennis of his life.
“Wherever you play him, whatever surface, you know that you’re going to get that fast pace the entire time, which for me I don’t mind necessarily so much, because it makes me alert from the very beginning.”
Sinner is set to face off against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final on Sunday.
“These are rare and special moments,” Sinner told reporters. “I’m very happy.”