Novak Djokovic has admitted he isn’t at the same level as Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, with tennis fans and pundits questioning whether the Serbian star will ever win another grand slam. Djokovic was blown off the court by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, with the Spanish whiz-kid defending his title with a 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) triumph.
Alcaraz became just the sixth man in the Open era to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, leaving Djokovic shell-shocked with his level of play. Djokovic came into the tournament just weeks after undergoing knee surgery, and produced a remarkable effort just to make the final.
But many are questioning whether he’ll ever get that elusive 25th grand slam title – which would see him go one clear of Margaret Court for the most in tennis history. Speaking to reporters after the crushing loss, Djokovic made the brutal admission that he isn’t at the same level as Alcaraz or Sinner (who beat him at the Australian Open) this year.
The Olympic Games and US Open are the two big goals for the rest of the year for me really,” Djokovic said. “I’m hoping I can be at my best in those two tournaments, yeah. That’s all I can say right now.
“I mean, being able to reach the finals of Wimbledon, of course, it’s a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a match-up today against [the] best player right now in the world for sure, I mean, other than Jannik, and both of them are the best this year by far, I feel like I’m not at that level.
“In order to really have a chance to I guess beat these guys in grand slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today. I’m going to work on it. It’s not something I haven’t experienced before ever in my life. I’ve had so many different experiences throughout my career. In the face of adversity, normally I rise and I learn and get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do.
Nick Kyrgios questions if Novak Djokovic will win another slam
Discussing the match in commentary for BBC, Nick Kyrgios and Tim Henman debated whether the 37-year-old Djokovic has enough left in the tank to win another major. “In all honesty, for 6-2 6-2 5-4 40-0, it was an annihilation,” said Henman. “Alcaraz was just absolutely phenomenal.
“The tone was set in that first service game of Djokovic, it was a 14 or 15-minute game. Alcaraz was able to get that break of serve and then he was just relentless. He gave Djokovic nothing to get his teeth stuck into. We were just waiting for the reaction, we were waiting for Djokovic to respond and that really only happened late in the third set when, in all honesty, it was just a little bit too late.
Aussie star Kyrgios added: “Physically he is not 100% but he decided to play it and he has said time and time again how important this event is to him. Look, he just came out a little bit flat, understandably at 37, he has won this championship seven times but Alcaraz was just a bit too much today.
“He threw everything at Carlos in the third set and he just kept coming up with answers time and time again. Me and Tim have had this conversation, it is a conversation all tennis fans need to have, is there one more slam left for Djokovic on the calendar? With the come up of Alcaraz, and obviously two times in a row beating him in the final, does Djokovic have enough left in the tank to get one more slam?”
Novak Djokovic ripped over ‘awful’ scenes in Wimbledon final
Kyrgios also posed the question on social media, and many said they believe Alcaraz and World No.1 Sinner have gone past his level. Such was Alcaraz’s dominance in Sunday’s final that Djokovic resorted to coming into the net much more than usual – but it had disastrous consequences.
Leading journalist Jose Morgado described Djokovic’s net play as ‘awful’, while fans were gobsmacked and highly critical of the World No.2’s performance. Twelve months after Alcaraz outlasted the great Serb in a five-set classic at Wimbledon, it felt almost shocking to witness how the young Spaniard cemented his fresh dominance at the grass-court slam on Sunday.
