After losing at Wimbledon, what's next for Djokovic?

WIMBLEDON, England -- Novak Djokovic's hopes of winning an eighth Wimbledon title and a record 25th Grand Slam crown were dashed by the brilliance of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday, as he was outplayed 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 by Sinner in the semifinals.

Hampered in his movement after a fall in the previous round, the 38-year-old Djokovic was a clear second-best against Sinner, who has now won his last five matches against the Serbian.

Djokovic shares the all-time record of majors with Margaret Court and knows he may not have too many more chances to win another one. Has he missed his best chance to win another major? We break it down.

Time is not on his side

Djokovic has been rewriting what's possible from the human body for many years now, pushing himself to the absolute limit, moving incredibly well and still performing at an exceptionally high level.

But it's been two years since his last Grand Slam win, when he won the US Open for the fourth time in his career. He turned 38 in May and the simple fact of the matter is that he is giving up 15 years to Jannik Sinner and 16 to Carlos Alcaraz, the two men who are doing the most to prevent him from adding to his tally. Ken Rosewall remains the oldest man to win a slam title, at the Australian Open in 1972 when he was 37 years, two months and one day old. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were both 36, just like Djokovic when he triumphed at the US Open a couple of years ago. Maybe that's the cut-off.

Sinner and Alcaraz are taking the game to another level

Few people would have thought that so soon after the retirement of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, we could be ushering another golden era in men's tennis. In Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, though, men's tennis is being blessed with two men who could dominate the sport for many years to come. Sinner has already won four slams and Alcaraz has five to his name, with the two men due to square off in the Wimbledon final.

Their power is unmatched, their movement unrivaled and their momentum is just as high as it was for Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, at its peak. Perhaps the biggest problem for Djokovic is that to win another major, not only does he have to defy the passing of time, he also has to beat at least one and probably both of them to do it. That's something that has proved beyond him so far, and unless the draw opens up in some way, somewhere, it's asking a lot for him to do it.

Injuries are beginning to take their toll

At the Australian Open, a hamstring tear ended his hopes of reaching the final. Djokovic quit after a set against Alexander Zverev, an opponent he would have expected to beat. At the French Open, after losing a tight three-setter to Sinner, he revealed he had been suffering from a muscle injury. Then, at Wimbledon against Sinner again, his movement was clearly hampered, the after-effects of a tight muscle and a fall on his hip in the previous round.

Trying to get through seven matches, over the best of five sets, is a hard enough task at the best of times, but at 38, it's getting more and more difficult to be pain-free, injury-free long enough to have a crack at another title.

Don't write him off, though

Nothing inspires Djokovic more than being told he can't do something, so anyone who says definitively that he has won his last major is foolish, at best. Time and again, he's come up with incredible feats when the odds are against him and he loves it when he's being written off, just like all great champions.

The US Open and Australian Open are good surfaces for his game, of course, and if things go his way in the draw, he'll believe he has one more in him. Clay would be more difficult, in theory, but grass is always a good opportunity for him, if his body plays ball. One thing's for sure, if he gets another chance, in another final, he will give it everything he has.