Novak Djokovic has decided to take a break from tennis as he confirmed on Wednesday, July 26, that he will miss the rest of the season, including next month's US Open.
The world number four is all set to miss a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2004. However, given his recent struggles, following a persistent elbow injury that has "aggravated in the last two months", rest might seem like the best option for the 12-time Grand Slam champion.
"I have been dragging this injury for the past 18 months and it has escalated in the last month or two... I will definitely play in the first week of next season. I have enough time to recover as the first tournament of 2018 is six months away," Djokovic said.
Djokovic follows Federer, Nadal's footsteps
It seems Djokovic is taking cue from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who have taken the sport by storm, winning titles at will after taking a break from the sport last season, which saw them out of action during the second half of last season.
Not many expected Federer and Nadal to dominate the way they have at the start of the season, especially after Djokovic and Andy Murray reached the final of the season-opening tournament in Qatar.
Djokovic emerged victorious in the battle, but it proved to be his last title for the next five months.
When Djokovic defeated Murray in the final of last year's French Open, the Serb became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams simultaneously.
Cut to July 2017, Djokovic has lost all the titles and his world number one title.
The 30-year-old pulled out of Wimbledon 2017 quarter-final, citing a return of the elbow injury. Except his run to the final at last year's US Open, the Serb has had struggled at majors and even at Masters tournaments. Change of support staff and head coach has also not worked in his favour.
Djokovic headed for Tiegeresque-fall?
Djokovic is hoping that the break will allow him to get back to his best form. Will it? Or is he never going to return to his vintage best?
Remember, what tennis great John McEnroe said of Djokovic at this year's Wimbledon. The 58-year-old compared him with troubled golf star Tiger Woods.
McEnroe claimed that Djokovic had been having some off-court issues with his family and it has been hampering his form. The tennis legend stressed on how Woods was never able to recover from the slump that he endured after having issues with personal life.
Notably, Woods admitted to infidelity in 2009, the year that saw his domination of the sport come to a crushing end.
While Djokovic does not seem to be in as bad a situation as Woods was, the Serb had admitted in the past that issues with his private life had been affecting his performances on court.
Personal issues hampering career?
Notably, the Serb, who married his long-time girlfriend Jelena, admitted he had been under some stress due to private issues at last year's Wimbledon, in which he was ousted as early as in the third round by Sam Querrey. He went on to miss a Davis Cup clash, saying he needed to spend time with his family.
Rumours about a strained relationship between Djokovic and his wife have been doing rounds for the past 18 months.
Notably, Jelena, who had been regularly attending her husband's tennis matches, was absent during Wimbledon, right after McEnroe's comments on their marriage woes, according to reports. Jelena's stony face at last year's US Open also added fuel to fire.
The Deepika Padukone saga
Djokovic's alleged ex-girlfriend Natasa Bekvalac created a storm earlier this year when she said the tennis star would have been happy if he had dated Indian actor Deepika Padukone.
Djokovic and Deepika were spotted together when they were heading out from a Los Angeles hotspot. The two then got into a car and stormed away from cameras. The Serb though maintained that the Bollywood star was a friend of his wife, Jelena.
Career-determining break?
Djokovic did not react sternly to McEnroe's claims. It will be interesting to see how the tennis star handles all the rumour mills which are busy churning out stories about his personal life.
It will be an important six-month-break for Djokovic. It might prove to be one which will make or break the future of the tennis star, at least, Djokovic seems determined to make his way back to the top.
