ROLAND GARROS

June 6, 2025

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

J. SINNER/N. Djokovic

6-4, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: We will open it up to questions right away. English questions?

Q. Great effort tonight. As you were walking off the court there, you sort of paused. I'm curious, what emotions were you feeling at the end of all of that and when you stopped on the clay that's meant a lot to you through your career?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, just a great sense of gratitude for the kind of support that I received tonight. Was incredible. 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 honored to experience that, obviously.

Not the happiest because of the loss, but, you know, I tried to show my gratitude to the crowd, because they were terrific in the moments when, you know, it seemed like it was going all of his way, and then they would lift me up and encourage me and give me strength to keep going and fight to the last ball, which I did.

Congratulations to Jannik for another very good and solid performance. I think mentally he deserved big credit for hanging in there in the tough moments when the whole stadium was cheering and, you know, it was set points down, and he managed to find some really good shots. He showed why he's No. 1 in the world. He was just too solid tonight.

Q. The gratitude to which you refer as you sort of said good-bye on this occasion, do you think if you're in good health in a year's time, do you expect to be here?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, 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.

But 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.

Q. How long have you been feeling that way that this could be your last time potentially?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Not long. You know, I don't know. I don't know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career. You know, I going to keep on keeping on, yes (smiling).

Obviously Wimbledon is next, which is my childhood favorite tournament. I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready. I guess my best chances maybe are Wimbledon, you know, to win another slam or faster hard court, maybe Australia or something like that.

But, you know, I must say that I was proud of my effort tonight in this tournament, considering, you know, I wasn't in great form coming into Roland Garros, but yeah, he was just too good for me tonight. Had some chances in the third set and set point. I had a forehand, and I went for it, and I missed it.

That's what these kind of guys, like Sinner and Alcaraz particularly, present on the court. They put pressure, so they're constantly on you and, you know, basically increase the pressure as the match progresses.

So when the opportunities are presented, they're very rare, so, you know, makes you a little more anxious, I guess, and you want to go for the shot or something. That's what happened. I missed.

I think, you know, it's good not to get a bagel or breadstick from Sinner here tonight. He's been giving those quite a bit this tournament (smiling).

But, look, in terms of the level of tennis, I think it was three tight sets. Second and particularly third could have gone my way, yes, one or two points, one or two shots, but he was a deserved winner.

I felt constantly under pressure, and he didn't allow me to kind of like have time to swing through the ball. He was just constantly on the line, trying to make me defend.

So that's why he's the No. 1 in the world. I wish him best for the finals. I think it's going to be an amazing matchup with him and Carlos, two best players, for sure, at the moment.

Q. When you said that it could be your last here, is that like all options are on the table, or that's where you're leaning towards at the moment?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I said it could have been my last match. I didn't say it was. So I don't know right now. 12 months at this point in my career is quite a long time.

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. I don't know.

So, yeah, I mean, that's all I can say for the moment.

Q. You just talked about Wimbledon. You're going to try to be ready for Wimbledon. I'd like to know how you manage your goals and your calendar right now. Must we understand that after Wimbledon, you will have a thought on, Do I want to go to the US Open? Is it working this way at the moment?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, at the moment I will try to stick with the plan what I had, which is play the Grand Slams. Those tournaments are the priorities of my schedule, my calendar.

Wimbledon and US Open, yes, they are in plans. That's all I can say right now. I'm going to, unless something, I don't know, happens, whatever. But I feel like I want to play Wimbledon, I want to play US Open. Those two, for sure. For the rest, I'm not so sure.

Q. You have dug so deep so many times here and elsewhere, and you have shown that spirit too, warrior spirit, never to abandon the hope of the victory. Did you feel at some point that maybe that was draining away from you in the third set that, you know, maybe you hit a wall somewhere, and it's difficult to keep drawing from the well, so to speak?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: As I mentioned before, Jannik is the kind of player who loves to play in very fast pace the entire match. He's very physical. He's very fit, and he's striking the ball incredibly well. He seems to be always in a 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.

Yeah, I mean, look, the first set, yeah, he was better. Was still close, 6-4. Second set, I had some breakpoints. It was break, rebreak. He served for the set. I came back, had 40-15, lost that one. Still, deservedly he won the second.

And the third, I thought I played probably the best tennis of the entire match. I think I was closer to win that set. Just in important moments he came up with the right play and right mentality, and you have to congratulate him. That's it. He was definitely a better player tonight.

Was a straight-set loss, but I feel like I did give him a run for his money, so to say. I tried to make him work till the last shot. I didn't want to give up particularly on such a big stage in semis of a Grand Slam.

Yeah, I did what I could, you know. This is sport. You have to just shake the hand of the better player and move on.

Q. A great match. Great atmosphere. Great Djokovic. If someone would say that that tonight you played even better than against Zverev, would be correct or not? Also, a few years ago you said that Sinner looked like to yourself some years ago, is that correct?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: He looked what?

Q. That Sinner was playing a little bit like yourself years ago.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't know. Maybe; maybe not. I'm not sure. We are all different.

But yeah, I mean, when I was at my best, I was also playing quite fast, you know, all the time. But, you know, he's a different player, and I don't want to compare our games. You know, I think he's unique in his own way.

Did I play better? I would say no, because I lost. If I won, then maybe yes, but I lost the match. It's a different matchup, you know. It's a different...

You know, with Zverev I felt like I had a bit more time from baseline, you know, to play different tactics or things, have a bit more time on the ball to set up.

With Jannik, no. No time. So you have to be constantly at your best. I think I was playing on a pretty good level, honestly. Some moments on a really high level, but he did too. He was just a level better than I was tonight.

Q. Sorry to go back to that, but could you just share what was the issue with your leg today? It seemed like even before the match you were stretching that leg a lot.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, it was bothering me a little bit throughout this tournament in some long matches. It's a muscular issue that needed to be looked at and was worked on.

But I guess the deeper you go into tournaments, the more physically exhausting matches you have, the more you're going to, I guess, worsen the problem in a sense.

But it wasn't, you know, giving me too much of a trouble. So I wouldn't say it was a hindrance to my game. I still could move almost 100%.

So it was okay. I wouldn't give it too much attention, to be honest.

Q. So it's Carlos against Jannik in the final. Do you think that in the future we will be able to compare their rivalry to other big tennis rivalry like yours with Roger or Rafa?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: At the moment, that's kind of hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years nonstop in order to be part of the same discussion (laughter).

But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something that our sport needs, no doubt.

The way they are playing and the way they are approaching tennis life, I think they are going to have very successful careers in the next whatever years, you know. I'm sure that we're going to see them lifting the big trophies quite often.