What Novak Djokovic's Loss to Dominic Thiem Means for Wimbledon 2017

Novak Djokovic lost at the 2017 French Open during the quarter-final round against Dominc Thiem in straight sets on Wednesday, leaving major question marks surrounding the game's former king heading into Wimbledon. 

Roland Garros shared the score via their official Twitter feed, which included a bagel in the third:

Djokovic has been the most dominant player in tennis since the 2011 season, winning 10 Grand Slam titles in that time span, which included four straight victories from 2015 Wimbledon to the 2016 French Open. Since that triumph at Roland Garros last year, however, Djokovic has slumped. 

He has just two victories since winning the French Open and has dropped to No. 2 in the world. And he made a major move in December, cutting ties with long-time coach Boris Becker.

"I didn't recognize him today, his mentality," Becker said on Jan. 19 after Djokovic shockingly lost in the second round of the Australian Open, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.

He continued:

"Having watched the match today, I felt he tried and he played five sets and four and a half hours, but I didn't see the intensity, didn't see the absolute will to win, didn't see him mentally going crazy."

"He always was very nonchalant about it, and that is not the Novak that I know. I'd rather see him break a racket or pull the shirt or something, for him to get emotional. I thought it was very even keel the whole match through, and that was unusual, and I don't know what to make of that."

Clarey also noted that Becker "said one of the main reasons he decided to leave Djokovic's team was because he felt the Serb was no longer making tennis as high a priority."

Given that Djokovic's level of play simply hasn't improved since Australia, it's fair to draw the conclusion that Becker's assessment may have been correct.

There have been other hints, too. Djokovic recently fired his entire support staff, per Peter Bodo of ESPN.com, and he was crushed in the Madrid Masters semi-final against Rafael Nadal, the first time the Spaniard had beaten Djokovic since the 2014 French Open final.

At the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic's conditioning was clearly an issue in a loss to David Goffin. 

Has Djokovic lost his killer edge? Has his work ethic declined after such a sustained period of dominance? Have, as Becker suggested, other priorities superseded tennis? 

These are major questions facing Djokovic heading into Wimbledon. Once the prohibitive favorite at any tournament he entered, there are now questions about whether Djokovic is currently one of the game's elite.

Certainly, any player of Djokovic's caliber is allowed a slump. Roger Federer went nearly five years without a Grand Slam title before winning the Australian Open this year, though Federer appeared to slow down solely due to age, and his victory down under was unexpected. 

Djokovic, on the other hand, could still feasibly be in his prime, which makes his current form all the more surprising. And if his days of dominance are behind him, Wimbledon—and every other Grand Slam, for that matter—are now ripe for the taking.