The reality has been hitting me for the past year and a half," Djokovic's reaction after his elimination in the Wimbledon semifinals

Novak Djokovic was aiming for a seventh consecutive Wimbledon final but was abruptly stopped in the semifinals by Jannik Sinner.

The Serb, who turned 38 this year, had hoped to topple the world No. 1, but age is catching up with him, as he admitted to reporters:

"It wasn’t a pleasant feeling on the court. But I don’t want to go into details about my injury or complain about not being able to give my best. I want to congratulate Jannik on his great performance. That’s it. He’s in the final—he was too strong. I’m disappointed I couldn’t move as well as I’d hoped.

I don’t think it’s bad luck. It’s age, the wear and tear on the body. No matter how well I take care of my body, reality has been hitting me for the past year and a half—and honestly, like never before. It’s hard for me to accept because I feel like I’m fresh and in good shape, that I can play great tennis. I’ve proven that this year.

Playing best-of-five sets has been a real physical battle for me. The longer the tournament goes on, the more my physical condition declines. I’ve reached the semifinals of every major this year. I have to play against Sinner or Alcaraz, and these guys are fit and sharp.

I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. You can’t win a match like that. You have to accept reality as it is and try to make the best of it."

The Serb, who is the last active member of the Big 3, also dismissed retirement talk and plans to return to Wimbledon next year:

"I would have been sad if this was my last match here. But I hope this isn’t my last match on Centre Court. I have no intention of ending my career at Wimbledon today. I plan to come back at least one more time.