Emotional Djokovic exit
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.
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