At age 38, Novak Djokovic hasn’t slowed down much. But retirement might be on the horizon for the Serbian tennis star, who said Friday he may have played his final match in the French Open.
Djokovic fell to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets during a thrilling semifinal match Friday. After the match, Djokovic revealed that the matchup may have been it for him at Roland-Garros.
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“This could have been the last match, ever, I played here,” Djokovic said in a news conference. “That’s why I was a bit more emotional in the end. But if this was the farewell match of the Roland-Garros for me and my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.”
Sinner defeated Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), completing the win with a dramatic tiebreaker. Though Djokovic struggled at times during the matchup, he consistently had the support of the crowd, who cheered him on nearly every step of the way.
After a particularly impressive point in the second set, Djokovic had the entire crowd standing on its feet, chanting his name.
And, after Sinner finished the job, the crowd stood for Djokovic again as he left the court.
Djokovic has long cemented himself as one of the tennis greats, earning 24 Grand Slam titles across his career, including a record 10 at the Australian Open. Last year, Djokovic earned his first Olympic gold at Roland-Garros during the 2024 Paris Olympics, completing the career Golden Slam.
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Earlier in the 2025 tournament, Djokovic earned his 100th French Open win, hitting a milestone that he has yet to hit in the other Grand Slams, despite having his fewest titles in the clay tournament. In addition to his gold medal, only three of Djokovic’s titles have come at the French Open.
With Djokovic’s 100 wins, only Rafael Nadal has more victories at Roland-Garros. Aptly, Nadal, known as the “King of Clay,” was honored in a ceremony ahead of this year’s French Open after retiring last year.
Nadal was accompanied by three of his most legendary opponents during the ceremony: Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Of the four, Djokovic is the only one still active; now, it looks like that may change soon.
