After a turbulent start to the 2022 season, Novak Djokovic is just one victory away from claiming his first, and perhaps only, major title of the year at Wimbledon.
With his status for the US Open still in doubt due to pandemic-related restrictions for entry into the United States and having had a disappointing result — by his standards anyway — at the French Open with a loss in the quarterfinals, the success of Djokovic’s season might very well hinge upon how he fares in the final after his 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie in the semifinals on Friday.
For much of the early part of the year, it was uncertain how much he would be able to play due to his very public unvaccinated status. Djokovic, 35, arrived at the Australian Open in January and quickly found himself at the center of a global media storm and legal battle. Ultimately, his visa was revoked by the Australian government and he was deported before play got underway. He then watched as the Grand Slam title record was broken by Rafael Nadal in Melbourne, and in February, he was temporarily supplanted atop the rankings by Daniil Medvedev.
Prior to April, Djokovic had played in just one tournament (a quarterfinal run in Dubai). But he was able to play in four tournaments during the European clay-court swing leading into the French Open, and won his first title of the year in Rome. Because he was ultimately unable to defend his title in Paris, he fell again in the rankings — this time to No. 3. Djokovic opted to skip the grass events leading into Wimbledon, but has been in mostly prime form throughout his time at the All England Club thus far.
No matter what happens on Sunday in the final against Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic will drop to No. 7 in the rankings following Wimbledon due to the ATP not awarding points to the tournament as a result of the ban of Russian and Belarusian players. But that ranking slide would undoubtedly be easier for Djokovic to accept were he to win his fourth straight Wimbledon title and 21st major trophy.
So how exactly did we get here? Here is a refresher on everything that has led up to the present situation for Djokovic.
July 8, 2022: Djokovic gets back to the Wimbledon final
July 8, 2022: Djokovic gets back to the Wimbledon final After a flat start in which he dropped the first set to Norrie, the local favorite who very much had the crowd on his side, Djokovic found his level – and dominated the rest of the way. He will now play in his 32nd major final…
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