Novak Djokovic jokes he ‘made a mistake’ after Jannik Sinner beats him again at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic joked he may have made a mistake after Jannik Sinner beat him in the 2026 Wimbledon semifinals, marking the Italian’s third straight win over the Serb at the grass-court Major.

What happened at Wimbledon 2026?

Djokovic lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Sinner in the semifinals on 10 July 2026, ending his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title. The Serb had beaten Sinner in the 2023 Wimbledon semifinals, then shared detailed tactical advice with the Italian afterward. Sinner has since turned that intel into three straight semifinal wins over Djokovic at Wimbledon.

Why Djokovic is laughing off the loss

Speaking to Kevin Hart on *Cold as Balls* while sitting in an ice bath, Djokovic joked that his own post-match breakdown may have lit the fuse under Sinner’s rise. “I gave him all the spill of everything that I notice on the court. His weaknesses, his strengths, things he has to work on. And then, the next three years he beats me at Wimbledon every freaking year. So, maybe I made a mistake,” he said.

The 39-year-old also admitted his body isn’t bouncing back like it used to. He played a 5-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal win over Felix Auger-Aliassime on 8 July before facing Sinner two days later. “The body is responding differently and that’s just biology … the wear and tear, the 20-plus years on the highest level, it’s just taking its toll,” Djokovic told *CBS Mornings*.

What Djokovic did off the court after the loss

While in New York for the premiere of his Prime Video documentary *Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter*, the Serb rubbed shoulders with Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and Justin Bieber at Fanatics Fest. He also joined SNL’s Marcello Hernandez for Hart’s ice-bath interview, where the jokes kept flowing.

What comes next for Djokovic and Sinner

Both men head to the Canadian Open in Montreal starting 2 August. Djokovic will line up alongside Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev in the ATP Masters 1000 event. Sinner, fresh off his Wimbledon semifinal win, will be the top seed in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz.