Novak Djokovic promised to resume his training after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, despite having knee surgery just over a month ago. He aims to compete for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and secure his 25th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.
“In tough times, I usually rise, learn, and become stronger,” Djokovic said following his 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) defeat to Alcaraz. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
Alcaraz also defeated Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final. The 37-year-old Serbian has a season record of 23 wins and 7 losses without a title; Sunday marked his first final appearance in 2024.
In Grand Slam tournaments, Djokovic lost to current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals in January, then made it to the French Open quarterfinals but had to withdraw before that stage due to a meniscus tear in his right knee.
He underwent surgery on June 5 and wasn’t certain he would be able to participate in Wimbledon until just a few days before the draw.
“My preparation for Wimbledon wasn’t ideal. … The injury was a setback,” Djokovic noted. “It certainly affected me, especially in the early rounds. But as the tournament went on, I felt stronger and stronger.
“I reached the final. In some matches, I played very well. In others, I had to fight hard. But today, I felt like I was just a half-step behind him in every way.”
With a gray sleeve on his right knee, Djokovic won only 27 out of 53 points at the net and hit 26 winners compared to Alcaraz’s 42. Djokovic had his serve broken five times and managed to win just one of Alcaraz’s 21 service games.
“Reaching the Wimbledon final … is a big confidence boost. But against the best player in the world right now, aside from Jannik, who have both been exceptional this year, I don’t feel I’m at that level,” Djokovic said.
“To have a real chance against these guys in Grand Slam matches or the Olympics,” he continued, “I need to play much better and feel much stronger than I did today.”
Still, like many, Alcaraz admired Djokovic’s journey to the Wimbledon final despite having surgery just weeks before the tournament.
“What he has accomplished here — after having surgery shortly before the tournament — is amazing. It’s unbelievable.” Next on Djokovic’s agenda is the Summer Games; the tennis event begins at Roland Garros on July 27.
An Olympic gold medal is the only major achievement missing from his impressive record, which includes 10 Australian Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, four U.S. Open titles (with his defense starting on Aug. 26), and three French Open titles, along with a total of 98 tour-level titles and more weeks as No. 1 than any other player.
He will assess areas for improvement, train hard, and focus on reaching his peak performance. He won’t dwell on what he could have done differently against Alcaraz that afternoon in England.
“Of course, I can always be critical of myself, which I am. I can always spot the mistakes, which I can already see. Things that maybe I should have done better,” Djokovic said on Sunday. “But I don’t think that would have altered the outcome of the match too much, to be honest.”
