Novak Djokovic suffers ranking slide to set up tougher path in Wimbledon draw

By SABC Sport
16th June 2026

Novak Djokovic has not played a competitive match since his third-round exit at Roland Garros to Joao Fonseca, but the Serbian has still been dealt a ranking setback that could impact his Wimbledon prospects.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is not expected to feature again until the grass-court major, continuing a carefully managed 2026 schedule focused largely on the sport's biggest events.

So far this season, Djokovic has competed at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, the Italian Open and Roland Garros, with his strongest showing coming in Melbourne, where he reached the final.

With Wimbledon likely to mark his next appearance, the latest dip in his ranking adds another complication to his bid for a record-extending Grand Slam title.

After the events of 's-Hertogenbosch and Stuttgart, Djokovic has fallen to World No. 8 in the ATP Tour rankings following Medvedev's semi-final appearance at the Dutch event.

Medvedev has soared above Djokovic in the rankings and that could mean the Serbian has a rougher ride of it when he returns to action at Wimbledon.

Djokovic is predicted to stay between World No. 7 and World No. 9 no matter the results of Queen's and Halle, and he currently sits at his lowest ranking since November 2022.

As Djokovic sits outside the top four of the rankings, he could play one of the Grand Slam's top seeds - Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, or Felix Auger-Aliassime - as early as the quarter-finals of the event, which could be a worry for the man who has claimed seven Wimbledon titles.

Many consider Wimbledon to be Djokovic's best, and potentially last, chance to claim that long-awaited 25th Grand Slam, and he will likely not be fazed by his current ranking.

Djokovic was ranked outside the top four for both the US Open and Wimbledon last year, and he ended up making the semi-finals of each of the Grand Slams.

Nevertheless, Djokovic's lack of action on the ATP Tour is clearly starting to catch up with him in terms of rankings. His early defeats at Indian Wells, the Italian Open, and Roland Garros certainly didn't help either.

However, the tennis legend's recent record at Wimbledon speaks for itself. The Serbian has reached the quarter-finals or later at every event since 2017.