Novak Djokovic says his French Open semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner "could have been the last match I ever played" at Roland-Garros.

The Serbian's hopes of claiming a record-breaking 25th major singles title ended after he went down in straight sets against the world number one on Friday.

Sinner simply had too much for Djokovic as he prevailed 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 38-year-old cut an emotional figure and received a huge ovation as he left the court on which he has triumphed three times during a glittering career.

And Djokovic hinted that may have been his swansong at the clay-court major.

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

"If this was the farewell match at Roland-Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.

"Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months' time here again? I don't know. That's all I can say for the moment."

"[It] was a straight-set loss, but I feel like I did give him a run for his money, so to say," he continued. "I tried to make him work until the last shot. I did what I could. This is sport. You have to just shake the hand of the better player and move on.

"I must say that I was proud of my effort [today and] in this tournament, considering I wasn't in great form coming into Roland-Garros, but he was just too good for me."

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Meanwhile, Sinner set up another blockbuster showdown in Sunday's final against reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, after stretching his major winning streak to 20 matches.

The world number one is only the second Italian to reach the men's singles final at Roland-Garros after Adriano Panatta in 1976.

At 23 years and 282 days old, he is also the youngest player to reach three or more consecutive major singles finals since Pete Sampras (22 years and 158 days) between Wimbledon in 1993 and the 1994 Australian Open.

"It was such a special occasion for me, playing against Novak in the semi-final of a Grand Slam," Sinner said. "It's just amazing, and I had to step up and play the best tennis I could.

"I'm very happy with how I handled the situation, but this shows again what a role model he is for all of us, and especially for us young players. What he is doing is incredible. I think we are all very lucky to see him playing such high-level tennis.

"[Novak] achieved so many things. He is the best player in the history of our sport. I always try to prepare myself in the best possible way and prepare myself for every situation on the court.

"I'm very happy with how we did that, and, of course, Sunday is going to be very difficult. I'm very happy to be here in the final."