"You can't beat age" - Novak Djokovic gets ominous verdict from Jimmy Connors in light of Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner's dizzying rise

Jimmy Connors recently gave a worrying verdict about an aging Novak Djokovic amid the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The Serb's most recent outing came at the French Open, where he was ousted in the semifinal by Sinner in straight sets.

Djokovic is having a poor season by his extremely high standards. However, he has been getting some impressive results, such as quarterfinal wins at the Australian Open and the French Open against Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, respectively, showing that he can still play at his best in crunch matches.

Despite the dip in his form in the last few years, he has managed to lead Alcaraz, barring some tough losses in two Wimbledon finals, with a 5-3 lead, but has had a tough time cracking the Sinner code, who has won five out of their last six matches and leads their rivalry 5-4.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Advantage Connors, eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors discussed the 24-time Major Champion's chances at Wimbledon, claiming that he does have a chance to reach 25.

"Sure. Why not? I mean, he's had success on all the Grand Slam courts and surfaces, and it's been pretty amazing. Let's face it," Connors said. (32:23 onwards)

The American then discussed how age is not on the Serb's side when it comes to best-of-five set matches. He also highlighted that the bigger problem was not winning the matches in four sets or five sets, but competing at your highest level in the following match, as the fatigue would kick in.

"Going in, I'm sure he would've loved to have gotten to the final there (French Open) and beaten Sinner and have that confidence flow into his game, but I keep telling you, getting older and playing against these young kids is no easy task, especially in these three out of five set matches."

"The grind, it's not that you win 6-4 in the fifth or 7-5 in the four set, or whatever. It's the one that follows. They break you down and wear you out. You get to the quarterfinals or the semifinals. That's when you are supposed to be starting to play your best and getting on a roll, not fighting fatigue."

Connors cited that what the 38-year-old was going through was normal, but said younger players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz would always be on the watch to use him and other veterans as a stepping stone to further their careers.

"It happens to every athlete. You can't beat age, can't beat it because when you get older, your competition is younger, and when they come in and want to make their name, like Sinner or Alcaraz, they want to use you, the older guy, now Djokovic, as their stepping stone. To beat Novak and be able to tell your kids, 'Hey, I beat Djokovic at Wimbledon', that's big."

Though Djokovic is aware of the fact that he is not in his prime anymore, he is still sticking to the plan and has two priority tournaments on his mind.

"At the moment, I will try to stick with the plan I had, which is play the grand slams" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros 2025 - Source: Getty

Following his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the French Open, Novak Djokovic expressed his desire to continue playing tennis but wasn't sure if he would be after 12 months during the post-match press conference. However, the Serb has decided to prioritize the Grand Slam events for now, as he continues his hunt for the unprecedented 25th major.

“At the moment I will try to stick with the plan I had. Which is play the grand slams. Those tournaments are the priorities of my calendar. Wimbledon and US Open, yes they’re in my plans. That’s all I can say right now. I wanna play Wimbledon and US Open for sure. The rest, I’m not so sure.”

Novak Djokovic's outfit for the 2025 Wimbledon has been revealed, which is scheduled to be his next tournament. Despite not enjoying the best of years, he is still the World No. 4 in the ATP rankings, which could benefit him greatly heading into the London Major, provided he keeps it.