DJOKOVIC MAKES AN EMOTIONAL EXIT

Serb's final gesture suggests this may be his last French Open

- BY A.K.S. SATISH Sports Editor

Novak Djokovic stood still on the red clay, his gaze sweeping across Court Philippe Chatrier.

He placed his hand on the surface, a quiet gesture of farewell or perhaps just reflection. As the crowd rose in applause, the 38-year-old Serb paused longer than usual, soaking in the moment. It felt different. And maybe, just maybe, it was.

The three-time French Open champion had just suffered a straight-set defeat to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). The match marked a passing of the torch in more ways than one: Djokovic's precision and experience versus the Italian's blistering movement and youthful fire. Yet what lingered after the final point wasn't the loss, but what followed.

"This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don't know," Djokovic admitted later. "That's why I was a bit more emotional even in the end."

That hint of finality hit differently. For the better part of two decades, Djokovic has been one of the sport's immovable forces chasing and then surpassing his Big Three rivals, rewriting the Grand Slam record books, reinventing what longevity in tennis looks like. But in Paris, the body language told a quieter story. One of weariness, of time catching up, and of perhaps beginning to let go.

Body battered