ATP 2025 Season: Top five biggest disappointments

Novak Djokovic reached 100 career titles in 2025 despite going Slamless.

The ATP 2025 season delivered a dramatic mix of dominance at the top, shocking setbacks and storylines that reshaped the men’s tour. While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner pushed their rivalry into historic territory, the rest of the field experienced a turbulent year defined by injuries, controversies and unexpected declines.

From Grigor Dimitrov’s heartbreaking Wimbledon collapse to Novak Djokovic’s valiant but Slamless campaign, Holger Rune’s devastating injury and Daniil Medvedev’s unraveling form, 2025 was a season that exposed both greatness and vulnerability in equal measure.

Grigor Dimitrov’s injury stopped him from beating Sinner at Wimbledon

Grigor Dimitrov’s Wimbledon run in 2025 was shaping into one of the stories of the tournament, and his quarterfinal clash against Jannik Sinner carried all the signs of a classic.

Dimitrov came out razor-sharp, mixing slice, touch, and precise first-strike hitting to frustrate the World No 1. His forehand was firing, his serve was immaculate, and he repeatedly dragged Sinner into uncomfortable positions.

The Bulgarian took the opening set and looked fully in control, reading Sinner’s patterns and exploiting the Italian’s unusually flat start. Going two sets up, Dimitrov was the better player on Centre Court, pushing Sinner into defensive scrambling and generating genuine tension around the possibility of a seismic upset.

But everything changed with the abrupt injury Dimitrov suffered mid-match, instantly stripping him of the movement and forcing him to retire. It was an emotional moment for everyone, as the Bulgarian was forced to trudge off what seemed like would be day when he advances to his fourth Grand Slam semi-final.

Who saw this coming?Grigor Dimitrov leads Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5 😲#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/WNiWk497M3

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025

Novak Djokovic falling short of a historic 25th Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic’s 2025 season was an impressive display of longevity and precision, even if it ultimately fell short of delivering the Slam breakthrough he was chasing.

Regular quarterfinal and semifinal runs showed that his level remained elite at 38, but physical issues repeatedly surfaced in the second week of majors, limiting his ability to sustain peak intensity.

His Australian Open and Wimbledon exits were particularly telling, as minor niggles turned potentially winnable matches into uphill battles he couldn’t quite overcome.

Also Read: ATP 2025: Top five controversies

A recurring theme of the year was his struggle against Jannik Sinner, whose pace and fearless aggression created a matchup Djokovic increasingly found difficult to control.

Yet the Serbian still found solace in reaching a historic milestone: crossing the 100-title mark, becoming only the third man in the Open Era to do so.

I want to congratulate Jannik on a great performance.👏 It’s been very special being back at SW19, sharing the buzz and having my family with me. Thank you Wimbledon, the tournament of dreams 🍓. And to the fans, your support means everything. You have my heart. 🫶🏼 See you soon pic.twitter.com/NPn8G420Sq

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 12, 2025

Holger Rune’s potential career-defining injury

Holger Rune’s 2025 season ended in brutal fashion after a late-year back injury, diagnosed as a stress-related lumbar issue, derailed what had been a promising resurgence.

The problem flared sharply during the indoor swing,when he experienced a devastating Achilles tendon rapture in the semi-final of the Stockholm Open.

The timing was devastating: he had finally regained form, climbed back toward the top ten, and positioned himself as a dark-horse threat for Turin.

Instead, the injury raised worrying long-term questions about durability, training load and whether this setback could alter the trajectory of a career once projected for Grand Slam contention.

After struggling with his knee, Holger Rune is unable to finish his match with Fils 😢The Frenchman will play Baez in #HamburgOpen semi-finals tomorrow pic.twitter.com/IBBqBj0v85

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 19, 2024

The decline of Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev’s 2025 season was one of the biggest disappointments of his career, marked by inconsistency, early exits and a sharp decline from the standards he once set as a perennial Slam contender.

After years of being a fixture in the top five, he struggled to generate any deep runs at the majors, failing to reach even a single semifinal.

In fact, the Russian managed to claim shockingly only one win out of his four major event appearances. His trademark baseline elasticity and counterpunching accuracy often deserted him at key moments, leading to losses against players he previously handled with ease.

Medvedev looked tactically stuck, physically less imposing and mentally drained, often appearing frustrated with both the conditions and his own level, and ultimately even ending his eight-year long stint with coach Gilles Cervara, the man who guided him to his maiden Grand Slam title in 2021 and helped establish him as one of the game’s elite.

Daniil Medvedev opens up on his moments of doubt this year 🎾… https://t.co/oxmWVVUy4p pic.twitter.com/nHHbm1ZPtx

— FirstSportz Tennis (@FS_Tennis1) November 26, 2025

For a player of his résumé, 2025 was a stark reminder of how quickly the tour can move past you when form dips, making it a season he will hope to reset from entirely in 2026.

Jannik Sinner’s doping controversy

Jannik Sinner’s three-month doping suspension became one of the most polarizing storylines of the 2025 season, igniting a storm of backlash from former players, analysts and even active stars.

The ban stemmed from a whereabouts violation case rather than a failed drug test, but the optics were explosive: a reigning Grand Slam champion disappearing for exactly three months, re-emerging just in time for the clay Masters and Roland Garros cutoff.

Former pros accused the system of shielding elite names, while Novak Djokovic, without naming Sinner directly, publicly questioned how “certain players somehow serve perfectly timed suspensions that don’t touch the big tournaments,” a comment widely interpreted as a pointed criticism.

The controversy intensified because the ban’s duration felt unusually convenient, skipping low-profile months but preserving Sinner’s chances at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the season’s late swing.

World No #1 Jannik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month ban from #tennis after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency.His suspension runs from February 9 to May 4!#janniksinner #DopingBan pic.twitter.com/ILIeym86PB

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) February 15, 2025

Critics called the punishment “made-to-measure,” suggesting that a lesser-known player would have faced a harsher outcome, while several ex-professionals voiced concerns that the ruling damaged trust in anti-doping oversight.

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