Novak Djokovic reached his 10th Wimbledon final last week and had the opportunity to stop an unwanted personal record, which last happened in 2005.
But the tenacious Serb was routinely defeated by the new force of men's tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. After a 10-year streak as the king of Centre Court, he lost his second successive final to the Spaniard.
Unlike last year, Djokovic remains without a title in 2024 and defends the most points among the top three for the rest of the season. His longest trophyless start to a season was back in 2005, when he hadn't even won an ATP title.
There have been two other seasons when he went nearly seven months into a calendar year without getting his hands on hardware. That was in 2006 (he captured his first title of the year in Amersefoot in July) and 2018 (he also won Wimbledon in July).
This year, Djokovic has garnered 23 victories from 30 matches in the first half of a season, including a runner-up finish in a Grand Slam. Now, this is the kind of stat that 95% of the Tour would snap your hand for.
Not the extraordinary Djokovic, who doesn't settle for above-average or decent numbers. He's always embraced perfection throughout his career. So, this is unfamiliar territory.
When he returns to ATP action at the North American hard-court swing next month, it will be the first time since his first full season in 2005 that he enters August without an ATP title.
When he stumbled earlier than usual in tournaments such as Indian Wells and the Italian Open, there was a caveat. In March, he was in the midst of a backroom carousel, ending his association with coaches Marco Panichi and Goran Ivanisevic.
In Rome, Djokovic was accidentally struck with a fan's water bottle while signing autographs. He felt the ill effects of the hit during his next match, and the general consensus was that he would get it together by Roland Garros.
That has not been the case, as an untimely knee injury forced him to withdraw mid-tournament. While his recovery and run to the Wimbledon final were phenomenal and an achievement worthy of celebration in themselves, it was evident that his movement was severely limited.
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