"It's unfortunate that things having nothing to do with tennis are going to so dramatically shape its history" - Tennis fans react to Novak Djokovic losing the top spot in ATP rankings

Novak Djokovic lost the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings on Monday, dropping to No. 3 for the first time since October 2018. The Serb is set to further drop in the rankings after Wimbledon, and the end to his reign at the top has drawn some passionate reactions from tennis fans.

Djokovic lost the top spot in the rankings after losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, thus failing to defend his title. He also lost 2000 points at the Australian Open by not being able to defend his 2021 title, after being barred from this year's event due to his unvaccinated status.

On Monday, as Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev officially surpassed Djokovic in the rankings, fans flocked to social media to react to the development.

"It's unfortunate that things having nothing to do with tennis are going to so dramatically shape its history," one fan wrote on Twitter.

"I can't belive what's going on with those ranking points. Novak's lost of points will be huge not by his fault. What a shame for him, his fans and tennis after all the good achievements what tennis brings.Whole thing with Wimbledon shows the opposite," said another fan, sympathizing with the Serbian tennis great.

The silver lining for Djokovic is the fact that he has occupied the World No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for more weeks than any other male player in history. Senior tennis journalist Christopher Clarey applauded that as one of the greatest achievements in the sport, drawing further reactions from fans.

"For now, 373 weeks at Top of the ATP Tour. Rankings. No.1 spot unjustly taken away, but we'll be back," said one fan, reacting to the same.

The 'Big 3 era' of tennis has seen Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer challenge each other for big titles and the No. 1 spot for many years. The three greats have shared some of the biggest and most impressive records in the game.

In light of that, some fans praised the Serb even more for the rankings feat.

"Phenomenal achievement especially playing in the same era as the other two best players in history. Simply mind boggling drive and confidence to move from a comfortable, high earning #3 position in 2010 to become the dominant player of the last decade," said one such post on Twitter.

Novak Djokovic is set to drop outside the top 5 after Wimbledon

2022 French Open - Day Ten

There seems to be no respite for Novak Djokovic in the rankings scenario. After the ATP decided to strip ranking points from the upcoming Wimbledon Championships, the Serb will lose a further 2000 points even if he defends his title. He will consequnetly drop to No. 7 in the rankings, his lowest position since late August 2018.

The ATP's decision regarding Wimbledon came after the All England Club placed a ban on Russian and Belarusian players in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The fall in the rankings puts the Belgrade native's bid for an eighth year-end No.1 title in jeopardy. Last season, Djokovic finished the year as the No. 1 for the seventh time in his career, surpassing Pete Sampras' previously held all-time record of six.

While Djokovic does not have any ranking points to play for at Wimbledon, he will aim to win his 21st Major title and close the gap on Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam race.