Wimbledon 2022 – A look at Novak Djokovic’s chaotic 2022 season, as he’s crowned champion once again

After a turbulent start to the 2022 season, Novak Djokovic won his first, and perhaps only, major title of the year at Wimbledon on Sunday.

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, Djokovic’s season might very well be defined by his trophy-clinching performance in the final over Nick Kyrgios, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

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 Ultimately, his visa was revoked by the Australian government and he was deported before play got underway.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 displayed mostly prime form throughout his time at the All England Club.

Despite the victory on Sunday — marking his fourth consecutive title and seventh overall — 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 is surely much easier to accept with his brand-new 21st Grand Slam trophy to bring home.

So how exactly did we get here? Here is a refresher on everything that has led up to the present situation for Djokovic.

July 10, 2022: Djokovic defends his title

Djokovic wins his fourth-straight Wimbledon title, and seventh overall, with the victory over Kyrgios. After dropping the first set, Djokovic figured out Kyrgios’ powerful serve and stayed the course despite continued antics from his opponent across the net. Clinching the win in a fourth-set tiebreak, Djokovic ultimately threw his hands up in triumph and let out a sigh of…