Novak Djokovic saw his bid for a 25th major title come to an end after he was beaten in the Wimbledon semfinals by Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic appeared physically hampered against Sinner, losing in straight sets to suffer his third Grand Slam semifinal defeat this year.
There has been a lot of conversation about the Serbian, with many questioning what the future holds for Djokovic.
Djokovic has provided some clarity on his retirement plans in the immediate aftermath of his defeat, and now former world number one Andy Roddick has had his say.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty ImagesAndy Roddick says what he does not want to hear about Novak Djokovic
Sinner beat Djokovic, 6-3 6-3 6-4, with the Italian winning five of the last six games in the match where his opponent appeared the most physically hampered.
When discussing Djokovic on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, the former US Open champion revealed that he does not want to hear people calling for the 24-time Grand Slam champion to retire.
Roddick went on to point out that Djokovic has done something at 38-years-old this year that he only ever achieved once in his entire career.
“Just to put things in perspective and so we don’t place Novak expectations on everything that he does,” said Roddick. “It’s like we get used to get therefore we adjust expectations.
“But just on a base level, a 38-year-old who has been pretty much physically compromised the entire year in different ways, making the semis of the first three majors of the year.
“It’s absurd and I understand there are two players that are better than him, pretty much every day now. I get that.
“That counter is stupid to me, I don’t want to hear it. Based against 38-year-olds, there are a lot of good players. People who were good players, myself included, who never had three semis in a year in Slams – actually that’s a lie I did one time – but not the first three of the year!
“But the point is the same. He is doing stuff that great players have never done in their entire career and he’s doing it at 38-years-old on a body that is compromised more often.
“That is the way that time is undefeated and he has fought it longer than anyone in the history of our sport consistently. We just need to acknowledge that people are going to be like he lost 3, 3 and 4, is it the end?
“Those are natural conversations and tendencies to have but also let’s be sober for a second when we are looking at what he Is actually doing at 38 years old.
“Almost winning Masters 1000’s, making the Wimbledon final last year on one leg, he had a shot in Australia and beat Alcaraz. He beat Alcaraz this year! It’s absurd and I hope we see him for as long as he wants to play.
“For me it’s like he knows how to win majors. Does he believe he can do it against these two? I don’t think we will ever get a sober answer, and who knows. We can’t answer for him and I would never try to.”
Roddick later added when speculating if Djokovic would continue playing in 2025, “If he plays next year we are all better for it in the tennis world. All of us.
“If he plays next year and somehow loses in the round of 16 or quarterfinal of a slam and any jack—- goes ‘he needs to retire’. Stop.
“You have to be really good at your job to criticise any part of what we see from Novak from here on out. What he has accomplished at 38 years old is unbelievable. It’s phenomenal.”
Who has beaten Novak Djokovic this year?
This is not the first time that physical issues have hampered Djokovic in a Grand Slam semifinal this year.
Djokovic was forced to retire against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open back in January, with the Serbian losing in straight sets in his semifinal against Sinner at Roland Garros.
His Grand Slam results have been significantly better than on the ATP Tour for Djokovic in 2025, emphasising the importance of major tournaments for him at this stage of his career.
It is not yet clear what the plans now are for Djokovic, with attention quickly turning to the US Open after Wimbledon.
Djokovic is currently entered into two warm-up events before the US Open, starting with the Canadian Open in Toronto, beginning on Monday, July 28.