3 times Roger Federer dropped out of the top 10 in his career

Roger Federer is currently ranked No. 9 in the world but will move to the 10th spot after the completion of the Indian Wells Masters. Casper Ruud, who currently occupies the 10th spot, will displace Federer from the 9th spot

Ruud will not drop any points in the coming weeks, while Federer is slated to lose 480 points (accumulated from his 2019 Indian Wells and Shanghai runs) which would see him drop below the Norwegian.

With the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime hot on the Swiss' heels, Federer is also at risk of dropping out of the top 10 for just the fourth time in his career.

On that note, let's take a look at the three other instances where the 40-year-old dropped out of the top 10 in the ATP rankings.

#1 Roger Federer first dropped out of the top 10 on July 8, 2002

Roger Federer won the title in Hamburg on May 13, 2002, which helped him break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. When the rankings were updated on May 20, Federer had climbed from the 14th spot to the eighth position.

However, opening-round exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon meant the Swiss lost a few ranking points, which saw him drop down to the 11th spot on July 8.

#2 Roger Federer dropped out of the top 10 for the 2nd time on August 5, 2002

As mentioned above, Federer dropped to the 11th spot on July 8. However, he regained his place in the top 10 a week later.

The 20-time Major champion held on to his No. 10 rank for about a couple of weeks before he again dropped out of the elite club on August 5 after losing early at Gstaad (2R), Canada (1R), and Cincinnati (1R).

Federer fell to the 14th position, but climbed to 13 a week later. The Swiss was ranked 13 for a couple of months before returning to the top 10 once again.

#3 Roger Federer dropped out of the top 10 for the third time in his career in November 2016

Roger Federer after losing to Milos Raonic at Wimbledon 2016

2016 was one of the most difficult seasons of Roger Federer's career. Federer underwent surgery on his knee in the early part of the year, which kept him on the sidelines for a couple of months.

He planned to return at the Miami Open but had to withdraw ahead of his second-round match against Juan Martin del Potro after contracting a stomach virus.

Federer returned to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters but skipped the Madrid Masters due to a back problem. The Swiss brought an end to his season after Wimbledon in July, with the knee injury coming back to haunt him once again.

Despite the lack of time spent on the court, it wasn't until November 7 that Federer dropped out of the top 10 entirely, falling from 9 to 16.

The Swiss made his comeback in 2017 and took the tennis world by storm, winning the Australian Open in his first competitive event since his hiatus.