As Wimbledon creeps closer, all eyes will be on Novak Djokovic as he looks to reign supreme at the All England Club for the eighth time.
At the age of 38, however, the Serb finds himself in trouble. He is no longer the man to beat, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner instead the two favourites going into this year's prestigious tournament, with his own brilliance starting to fade as well.
Over the years, Djokovic has become a Centre Court legend. He has won seven titles - a feat only Roger Federer has been able to better.
His last victory came back in 2022, when he came from behind to crush Nick Kyrgios in four sets. As he lifted the golden, glittering Gentlemen's Singles Challenge Cup aloft few expected his empire to fall.
Novak Djokovic finds himself falling behind the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as Wimbledon looms
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Fast-forward to now, however, and Djokovic is eager to show he's not yesterday's man. As the next generation continues to shine, the veteran is adamant there's still life in the old dog yet.
Djokovic has made the last two Wimbledon finals, only to lose to Alcaraz on both occasions.
Alcaraz appeared dead and buried when Djokovic took the first set comfortably in 2023 but the Spaniard, fuelled by a desire to match Rafael Nadal, managed to pull off a spectacular 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 comeback to secure the gong he wanted most.
Last year's Wimbledon final was a far more straightforward occasion for the youngster.
Alcaraz won 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 to win the event for the second year in a row - with Djokovic powerless as he crashed to one of the most emphatic final defeats of his career.
Djokovic did bounce back from Wimbledon 2023 when he powered his way to victory over Daniil Medvedev at the US Open just months later.
Ever since, however, his form has nosedived. With the Serb in the twilight stages of his career, it remains to be seen whether he can scale the same dizzying heights as years gone by.
Last year saw Djokovic win just one singles title: Olympic gold in Paris.
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Novak Djokovic pictured arriving for this year's Wimbledon
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He was mesmerising as he dispatched Alcaraz at Roland Garros, summoning the magic of years gone by to etch his name into the history books.
However, such moments of brilliance have been seen less often than before - which certainly doesn't bode well as Wimbledon looms.
Djokovic has also won one singles title in 2025, with the 38-year-old winning the Geneva Open with a hard-fought victory over Hubert Hurkacz at the end of May.
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His record in Grand Slams this year has been mixed, though.
Djokovic made the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and French Open before losing to Alexander Zverev and Sinner respectively - with the 24-time Grand Slam victor failing to really challenge either man on the day.
There seems to be a gap now that wasn't there before. And with Sinner and Alcaraz so brilliant, and so consistent, it means Djokovic is now seen as an underdog - something that was unfeasible just two years ago.
Novak Djokovic is an underdog for this year's Wimbledon, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner starting to dominate the sport
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Sinner has three majors and is the world No 1. He was flawless as he made the French Open final at the start of the month, only to end up falling to Alcaraz.
Then there's Alcaraz himself. He already has five majors to his name at the age of 22 and all signs point to him dominating Wimbledon for the third year on the trot.
As the big event nears, Djokovic has a point to prove. Whether he can do exactly that at Centre Court, as he has done throughout his career, remains to be seen.
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