Novak Djokovic’s straight-sets defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals has once again sparked speculation about his retirement from tennis.
Djokovic lost to eventual champion Sinner, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in what was a fairly comfortable victory for the Italian.
It looked as if age had finally caught up to the Serb, who was also nursing a groin injury he had sustained in the quarter-final against Flavio Cobolli.
Despite turning 38 in May, Djokovic recently said he wants to play for ‘several’ more years, and confirmed in his Wimbledon press conference that he plans on returning to the All England Club next season.
The 24-time major champion isn’t getting any younger, though, and with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz replacing him at the top of men’s tennis, former WTA player Rennae Stubbs thinks he’ll be calling it a day on his legendary career sooner rather than later.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty ImagesRennae Stubbs says where she thinks Novak Djokovic will retire
On the ‘Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, she said of Djokovic: “I think he has sort of hinted that the last Grand Slam will be the Australian Open, and I think the reason for that is because it has been his most successful, winning it nine times.
“I think it’s not a bad way for him to go out if he decides to. It has clearly been the best place for him to win a Grand Slam. If he can get to 25, that is probably where he is going to do it.
“I thought his best chance was at Wimbledon, that has slipped away, but I think he probably almost feels that the Australian has been so mercurial in his life, he has had so many dramatic moments in his life, where he was treated very poorly by the Australian government.
“So it’s an interesting dichotomy, but I think that is where he wants to finish his career, and that is where I think probably will be his last Grand Slam.”
Novak Djokovic’s results at Grand Slam events so far in 2025
Djokovic has enjoyed deep runs at Grand Slams this year, but hasn’t managed to go all the way.
He has made three semi-finals at majors in 2025, the first of which was at the Australian Open, where he beat Alcaraz en route.
TournamentResultLost toAustralian OpenSemi-FinalAlexander Zverev (Walkover)Roland GarrosSemi-FinalJannik SinnerWimbledonSemi-FinalJannik SinnerNovak Djokovic’s results at Grand Slams this year
In his final four matchup with Alexander Zverev, however, his body let him down when he picked up a muscle tear in his left leg and was forced to retire.
At both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he lost to Sinner in the semi-final, citing the reason for his defeats as ‘running out of fuel’.
To pass Margaret Court in all-time majors won, Djokovic will likely have to beat one of the two best players in the world towards the end of a two-week tournament, which at the moment, seems a feat out of reach.