It won’t be wrong to say that the French Open proved to be a nightmare for Novak Djokovic. Despite having a solid start and moving past the first two rounds comfortably, the Serb went on to suffer a huge upset against Joao Fonseca. The young Brazilian mounted an epic comeback after being two sets down to win the match 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5. This defeat has resulted in Djokovic losing four places and falling to No. 8 on the rankings. The 39-year-old now stands on the verge of losing his top 10 status as Wimbledon approaches.

The last time that Djokovic had dropped out of the top 10 was in November of 2017, and he wasn’t able to return until July, 2018. He currently has 3,760 points to his name on the rankings. Behind him are Taylor Fritz and Flavio Cobolli, who have a tally of 3,635 and 3,540 points, respectively. Unlike the Serb, both of them are participating in tournaments before Wimbledon. Good results in these events could see them cut down the gap significantly or even overtake Djokovic.

On top of this, World No. 11, Alexander Bublik isn’t that far behind either. He currently has 3,020 points under his belt and is also playing grass-court events before Wimbledon. While Djokovic will be defending 800 points at the SW19 because he had reached the semis last year, Bublik doesn’t have a lot of points to defend as he had exited in the first round. If the Kazakh goes on a run at the Grand Slam and Djokovic bows out early, he could lose his place in the top 10 for the first time in almost eight years.

The 2026 season has already been quite dreadful for the veteran since his Australian Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, and he will definitely be desperate to not fall out of the top 10.

2XYT76Y Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts during a third round match against Alexei Popyrin, of Australia, of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)The Serb had encountered immense fatigue after the tournament and had decided to not play in February. He eventually made his return to the court at the Indian Wells Masters, but he was eliminated in the second round by Jack Draper following a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 defeat. The match also saw him suffer a right shoulder injury.

The setback kept Djokovic out of action for almost two months before he eventually made his return at the Italian Open. But a shocking 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Dino Prizmic saw him exit in the R64. This was followed by an early exit from Roland Garros.

The veteran has only played 14 matches on the tour this season and won’t be in action before Wimbledon. This is why there are no big expectations around Djokovic this time, and he isn’t being considered as a top contender for the title by many. However, despite his poor form and physical struggles, former ATP pro Mats Wilander feels that a player of Djokovic’s caliber can never be underestimated.

Mats Wilander is optimistic about Novak Djokovic’s chances at Wimbledon

“In Paris he lost to a great Fonseca, but Wimbledon is the Slam where he has the best chance of winning and finally reaching the record of 25 Slams, which has almost become an obsession,” he had said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “On grass, the distances from Sinner, in my opinion, are a bit reduced. And then it is also a statistical question: on clay the opponents who can beat him are 10 or 20, on the lawns of London they are reduced to five.”

Wilander’s words can’t be taken lightly, as Djokovic’s record at Wimbledon is simply incredible. For starters, he has won the coveted title seven times in his career. He also has a sensational win-loss record of 101-11, winning approximately 90.18% of the time.

Additionally, he is just the second player after Roger Federer to rack up 100 or more wins at SW19 in the Open Era. He has made 10 appearances in the final and is easily among the top 3 most successful players of the tournament.

Will Djokovic go on to have a strong campaign at Wimbledon later this month and lift his elusive 25th Grand Slam, or does another early exit await him in London?