Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history, Novak Djokovic is going through a challenging period, struggling to find his best form. Over the past year, while he secured Olympic gold to complete the career Golden Slam, he has fallen short in major tournaments. His struggles have carried into 2025, with early exits at the Australian Open, Dubai, and now Indian Wells.
Since retiring in the Australian Open semifinals against Alexander Zverev, Djokovic has suffered a series of setbacks. He was eliminated in the first round of the Qatar Open by Matteo Berrettini and most recently fell 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to “lucky loser” Botic van de Zandschulp during his debut at Indian Wells.
This marks the first time since 2018 that Djokovic has endured a three-match losing streak between Australia and Miami. That year, he lost to Hyeon Chung in Australia’s fourth round, before being defeated by Taro Daniel and Benot Paire in Indian Wells and Miami.
“I regret the level of tennis I’ve been producing, especially given how intensely I’ve been practicing lately,” Djokovic told the press after his latest defeat. “Things are obviously different for me over the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play at the level I want. Every now and then, I have a couple of good tournaments, but mostly, it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me,” he admitted.
Botic van de Zandschulp defeated Novak Djokvic at the 2025 Indian Wells (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal already retired, comparisons between the Big Three remain a major talking point in tennis. So how does Djokovic’s slump compare to the worst losing streaks of Federer and Nadal?
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Rafael Nadal’s worst losing streak
Before breaking into the Top 10, Nadal’s longest losing streak lasted five matches between 2003 and 2004, when he was just 17. During that stretch, he fell to Dominik Hrbaty, Alex Corretja, Feliciano López, Victor Hanescu, and Thierry Ascione across Challenger and ATP Tour events.
As a Top 10 player, Nadal’s longest losing streak came twice, with four straight defeats. In November 2009, he lost to Djokovic in the Paris Masters semifinals before falling in all three of his ATP World Tour Finals round-robin matches against Robin Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko, and Djokovic—all in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal lost four matches in 2022 (Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
His second four-match skid came in 2022, his last full season on tour. He exited the US Open in the Round of 16 against Frances Tiafoe, then lost to Tommy Paul at the Paris Masters before suffering defeats to Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the ATP Finals.
Roger Federer’s worst losing streak
Before breaking into the Top 10, Federer had two six-match losing streaks—one in 1999 and another in 2000, which included Challenger-level matches. As an established player, his longest losing run came in 2002, when he dropped four consecutive matches shortly after reaching the Top 10 and in the wake of his first coach Peter Carter’s passing.
Roger Federer’s worst streak as a Top 10 player came in 2002 (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Federer arrived at the Canada Open following a second-round exit in Gstaad to Radek Stepanek and lost in the opening round to Guillermo Canas. After learning of Carter’s death, he suffered further defeats to Ivan Ljubicic (Cincinnati) and Nicolas Massu (Long Island).
Novak Djokovic’s worst losing streak
Djokovic’s longest losing streak came in 2007 when he was still establishing himself among the elite. After breaking into the Top 10, he endured five straight defeats to close out the season. He lost in the second round of Madrid to David Nalbadian, before losing at the Paris Masters to Fabrice Santoro. Then, he lost to David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet, and Rafael Nadal in the ATP Finals.
While Djokovic’s current struggles are far from his worst, his recent form raises questions about whether he can regain the dominance that has defined his career.
