Novak Djokovic's decision to withdraw from the ATP Finals means he will end the season with his second-lowest ranking since 2006.
Djokovic disappointed his millions of fans worldwide who love watching him by announcing he would not compete at this year's ATP Finals because of an injury, likely to be the knee problem he managed throughout 2024.
There had been much speculation about him not competing at the year-end Finals. Djokovic said in September that he might be done with tournaments like the ATP Finals to prioritize the four Grand Slams and representing Serbia.
Although an injury was the official reason, Djokovic may have withdrawn from the tournament regardless because of his specific priorities at this late stage of his career.
Djokovic did not look like a man focusing on preparing for a tournament when he appeared at the Serbia Open in Belgrade, signing autographs for the home fans who were delighted to see Serbia's greatest-ever sportsperson.
One consequence of playing fewer events is that competing for the No. 1 ranking is more difficult. Incredibly, Djokovic ended 2023 as the year-end No. 1 despite playing a reduced schedule because he won three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals.
However, although he achieved his most significant goal of winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic's 2024 season as a whole has not been as successful as last year. He failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.
The closest Djokovic came was at Wimbledon, where he reached the final, but the seven-time champion at SW19 got hammered in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz, who also won his maiden French Open crown this year.
Djokovic's ranking has also taken a hit due to his reduced schedule and not being as successful this year. The tennis legend also did not receive any ranking points for winning an Olympic gold medal.
Djokovic will finish this season outside the Top 5 for just the second time since 2006. The only other occasion was in 2017, which was probably the worst year of Djokovic's illustrious career.
He ended 2017 at No. 12. Djokovic cannot fall outside the Top 10 this year, and his Olympic gold medal and appearance in the Wimbledon final mean this year has undoubtedly been better than 2017.
The Serbian is currently at No. 5 in the rankings, but he is guaranteed to lose the points he won from winning last year's ATP Finals. Djokovic is guaranteed to finish at least at No. 6 behind Taylor Fritz but could slip as low as No. 9 depending on results.
His close friend Grigor Dimitrov, who is ranked No. 10, cannot overtake Djokovic because he did not qualify for the ATP Finals, meaning Djokovic will not fall any lower than No. 9.
However, Djokovic is probably not overly concerned with his ranking. He already holds the record for most weeks at No. 1 and is more worried about being in the right condition for the four Grand Slams.