‘Could Be Ranked 40 in the World’ – John McEnroe Makes a Worrisome Assertion About the Coming Days of Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has undoubtedly been having one of the worst phases of his career. Winning just one title in six tournaments played so far, it is by far the worst performance of Djokovic since 2010, when, he just won one title in the first six months.

Currently, at Wimbledon, one may think that things are moving towards the positive side for the Serbian now. However, that seems to differ from what legendary player John McEnroe thinks. According to the 7-time Grand Slam winner, the worst is yet to come for Djokovic, which could land Djokovic as low as 40 in the ATP rankings.

John McEnroe presents his thoughts on the past 6 months

Following his retirement, McEnroe has been a primary analyst of the game. Speaking about things getting back to normal for Djokovic, McEnroe said, “I don’t think he’s gotten over it yet.”

After suffering deportation from Australia, Djokovic played his first tournament of 2022 in Dubai. Following the Dubai Open, the former World No. 1 next had to play the Sunshine Doubles. However, owing to his stand on the COVID vaccine, he wasn’t allowed to enter the country. The result? He played his next tournament directly on the clay court. Masters Monte Carlo.

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However, lack of match experience played a crucial role in his second-round exit in the clay-court tournament he has won twice. Recalling the Monte Carlo campaign, McEnroe said, “The bottom line is I can’t imagine it didn’t affect him in a big way and I think that’s why he maybe didn’t train as much and he looked – for him – a little out of shape in Monte Carlo.”

Having the urge to polish his game, Djokovic next showed his skills in Belgarade, Madrid, and Rome. However, things again came to lack of experience during his clash with Rafael Nadal at French Open.

“Then he looked like he had it together at the French but to me, having not played a slam match since the [US] Open, I think it caught up with him there [at Roland Garros].”

The American wall for Novak Djokovic

With COVID cases surging again, the American government recently announced its latest COVID-19 norms for international passengers. With production of the vaccination certificate by the passenger remains a must.

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The guidelines come in as a major threat for Djokovic, who seems firm on his stand of not getting vaccinated. Presuming the norms aren’t changed by August, the 3-time champion could potentially miss the US Open.

“Now he’s got that even more ramped-up pressure that I assume he’s put on himself, especially if he can’t play the US Open”, McEnroe said, expressing concern over the World No, 3’s presence.

Expressing concern over Djokovic’s ranking drop, McEnroe ended by saying, “He could win this and he could be ranked 40 in the world in a few months because he can’t play anything in the States. It’s crazy. It’s unfortunate.”

Being a top-ranked player has its perks. However, it also has its own drawbacks. Most important of which is defending points. Last year, being the runner-up, Djokovic secured 1200 points from the US Open. However, with his presence in doubt, he could potentially lose the 1200 points, suffering a further drop in his rankings.
Novak Djokovic is currently playing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Having won the first two rounds, is now set to face fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanović in the third round.