It was Novak Djokovic’s first at the Australian Open on Sunday.
Djokovic has never lost a final at Melbourne Park. He was an incredible 10-0 in Aussie Open title matches before Sunday’s match against Carlos Alcaraz. The Serb showed early signs of winning 11 Down Under and 25 slams in total, but Alcaraz eventually prevailed 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Now the question is whether it was “the last time.” Djokovic’s last Australian Open match, that is.
“It was a great experience,” the 38-year-old told the crowd during the cup ceremony. “I love you guys.”
This statement casts doubt on Djokovic’s future on his courts in Melbourne. After all, there was “see you next year.” But there was no goodbye either. It was not unusual for Djokovic, who rarely makes guarantees about short-term or long-term plans.
“God knows what happens tomorrow,” he added in his speech, “let alone six or 12 months.”
The current world No. 3 was not pressed on the matter by English reporters during his post-match press conference, but Serbian journalists certainly made sure to cover the matter. He was asked to clarify his “it was a good ride” statement.
“I don’t know; I don’t know if I’ll see them again or not,” Djokovic admitted. “So I left it open. Of course, I don’t know. You’ve followed me for a long time; I’m not pretending; I’m not putting on an act; I’m not twisting things; I’m telling you exactly how it is. I’ve said in the last year or a year and a half that I’m not sure how long or how long I’m going to play it. I’ve said 20 I could play the Olympics. one tournament a year; maybe 15;
“I meant what I said on the court. The crowd gave me feelings that I’ll never forget in the last two games – feelings that I’ve never had here like this before. And I’m very grateful for that. I think I deserved it, and I sincerely thank them from the bottom of my heart.
“I think I will come back. But whether you will see me here as an active player, we will see.”
