AFTER ZIPPING up his designer bags, Novak Djokovic walked off Centre Court and did a 360-degree salute to the crowd with his right hand aloft.
Resigned to his fate, the sport’s greatest player looked emotional as he trundled off following a first Wimbledon semi-final defeat for 13 years.
Physical problems had prevented him from taking this the full distance as he lost 6-3 6-3 6-4 to the outstanding Jannik Sinner.
When the match was sealed, an ailing Djokovic did not even bother to chase after the ball that Sinner simply plonked over the net, with BBC commentator Andrew Cotter remarking: “It is time for the new guard to take over.”
Djokovic, 22 years a pro, is still good enough to beat 98 per cent of the ATP Tour players yet against Sinner and two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz he comes up short.
Next year, he will be 39-years-old and he accepts his body is breaking down.
Even when he is fully fit, thanks to months of hard work in training, he admits he cannot find a way past the top two.
At one hour and 55 minutes, it was the shortest defeat he had experienced, aside from two mid-match SW19 retirements.
The gap between him and the top two has lengthened and ruthless Sinner moved into a first Wimbledon final for another crack at the Spaniard.
Djokovic, who slipped late on in the quarter-finals against Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday, had a medical time-out before set three.
But in truth, even if he had been at full health it is unlikely it would have changed the outcome – Sinner was too agile, too quick, too cute, too damn good.
Djokovic refused to use injury as an excuse, saying: “It wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court. I don’t want to whine about not managing to play my best.
“It’s bad fortune. It’s just age, wear-and-tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, reality hits me right now.
“It’s tough for me to accept because I feel like when I’m fresh, I can still play really good tennis. I’ve proven that this year.
“The longer the tournament goes, the worse the condition gets. I reached the semis of every slam this year but I’ve to play Sinner or Alcaraz.
“These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that.
“Hopefully it’s not my last match on the Centre Court. I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. I’m planning to come back at least one more time.”
Marvellous Sinner, 15 years the junior, did to Djokovic what he has done countless times to sorry opponents on this famous turf.
Though Sinner injured his right elbow in the fourth round against Grigor Dimitrov and wore a precautionary sleeve, he was still able to rain down 133mph aces.
This was a contest dominated by serve and whenever Djokovic had a sniff off a chance, Sinner would unleash an unretrievable bomb or deceive him at the net.
The medical timeout interruption disrupted Sinner’s rhythm and he found himself 3-0 down in set three.
But the comeback never materialised and Sinner, once he rediscovered his high level, served his way out of trouble, winning six of the next seven games to advance.
Sinner is the fifth man since 1995, after Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray, to appear in the finals of all four Slams.
The reigning US and Australian Open said: “I’m in good company. It’s amazing. It shows I’m growing as a player on every surface.
“I struggled a lot five years ago on this surface. I couldn’t really move. Now I move much better.
“We saw the last final (in Paris) and we never know. It’s a huge honour to share the court once against Carlos. I love watching him. Hopefully it will be a good match like the last one.”
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