Novak Djokovic is in a critical spot in his career as a professional tennis player. Not long ago, he was the dominant figure of this sport but some lingering injuries made him to lost the way. Recently, he was forced to retire from Wimbledon as an elbow injury stood in between him and a decent display of tennis. Now that Wimbledon 2017 is a past story, the ATP circuit will slowly migrate to North America and then Asia only to return in Europe for this season's conclusion at the ATP Finals. For Novak Djokovic, the upcoming hardcourt swing hangs in the balance as the Serb offered some hints about him taking an extended break from tennis in order to put things on track.
If he decides to skip the ATP events prior to the U.S. Open he must be prepared for an even deeper fall in the rankings as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been soaring recently.
Djokovic shares his drama with Andy Murray
The current world no. 1 Andy Murray is in a similar situation with Djokovic as both Big Four members have been struggling with injuries and low shape. Their lack of success and those lingering injuries may force them to step off the stage for a while leaving Federer and Nadal able to match their level. Judging by how things look at the moment, Novak Djokovic has two possible choices next: He will take an extended time off or he will use the break to undergo defining surgery that could make the issue go away permanently.
If he goes for surgery that could be the end of the season for the Serb tennis superstar.
The worst case scenario would put Djokovic on the stand for the rest of the season and that could also throw him out of the Top 10 for the first time in over a decade. Djokovic entered the top 10 ATP for the first time in the first part of 2017 and he never dropped out since then.
That could change if he won't be around to defend those ranking points from last year.
Djokovic has made some changes
Just before the French Open, Djokovic made some drastic changes to his team. He parted ways with the entire coaching team bringing in Andre Agassi to fill the blanks instead. For Wimbledon, he added Mario Ancic, the former top 10 player, as a fresh blood input.
But, all the smartest minds combined can't do anything when an injury is having its moment. At 30 years of age, Djokovic has some difficult decisions on his plate. The same goes for Murray.
Ranked fourth in the world at the moment, Novak Djokovic has a 32-8 win/loss ratio under his belt. The numbers themselves aren't that bad but they don't come even close to his standards. Those two ATP 250 titles won this season can hardly console Djokovic.
