Djokovic blames physical struggles after one-sided Wimbledon defeat to Sinner

Djokovic's hopes of a 25th Grand Slam title were once again dashed by Sinner, as they were in the semi-finals of the French Open a few weeks ago, with the Italian racing to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Centre Court.

This time, Djokovic cited injury troubles as the reason for his defeat, as he suggested his ageing body is no longer allowing him to get through two weeks of a Grand Slam tournament.

He was asked if he felt sad if that was his final appearance on Wimbledon's Centre Court and offered up a philosophical response.

"I would be sad, but hopefully it's not my last match on the Centre Court. I'm not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today," he insisted.

"So I'm planning to come back definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure."

His fall at the end of his match against Flavio Cabolli on Wednesday clearly did some damage to his groin and he admitted that was a big factor in his defeat.

"Honestly, wasn't really a pleasant feeling on the court," he stated. "I don't want to talk, in details, about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best. I want to congratulate Jannik for another great performance. That's it. He's in the finals. He was too strong.

"I do feel, yeah, disappointed that I just wasn't able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would.

"I don't think it's bad fortune. It's just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I'm taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest.

"It's tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I'm fresh, when I'm fit, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year. But yeah, I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, yeah, the worse the condition gets.

"I reach the final stages, I reach the semis of every slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I'm going into the match with tank half empty. It's just not possible to win a match like that.

"It is what it is, you know? It's one of these things I accept and embrace in some way, deal with the reality the way it is, and try to make the most out of it, I guess."

Djokovic also hinted he will look to make changes to his schedule to ensure he gives himself the best chance to be fit through to the end of the US Open, but he appeared to doubt if that will be the case.

"I probably have to revisit everything and see with my team, with my family, how I want to proceed with my schedule and where I want to peak and how I want to train," he added.

"I don't know what I can do differently, to be honest, because the amount of hours that I spend on a daily basis to take care of myself, I'd like to challenge everyone who is out there on the tour to see if anybody takes care of themselves more than me.

"And I, unfortunately, don't get rewarded for that right now, with injuries at the later stages of slams. But I was rewarded for many, many years."

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