Novak Djokovic will hope his decision to take the rest of 2017 off can help him rediscover fitness and form for next year.
Djokovic is trying to recover from an elbow injury and re-establish himself at the front of the game's 'big four'.
Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Djokovic have been affected by absences in their career.
Rafael Nadal
Nadal's career looked to be in decline when a wrist injury forced him to retire before the French Open third round last year. The Spaniard also missed Wimbledon and while he played at the US Open, he ended his season early in October to fully recover. Nadal looks to have profited from the break, reaching the Australian Open final in January before winning his 10th French Open title in June. In 2012, Nadal skipped all tournaments after Wimbledon due to a knee injury. He came back to win the French Open in 2013, the first of three triumphs in five major tournaments.
Roger Federer
Federer ended a record streak of 65 consecutive grand slam appearances last year by pulling out of the French Open. The Swiss came back for Wimbledon but knee and back problems meant he still felt short of full fitness. After a semi-final defeat to Milos Raonic at SW19, Federer announced his decision to miss the rest of the 2016 season to recuperate. The decision has paid off in dramatic style, with Federer coming back to win the Australian Open before sealing his 19th grand slam triumph at Wimbledon earlier this month. In between, the 35-year-old sat out the French Open in a bid to maintain maximum sharpness.
Novak Djokovic
Like Federer, Djokovic had enjoyed a long run without major injury and missing this year's US Open will bring an end to his run of 51 consecutive grand slam appearances. Djokovic, however, has been playing through pain in his right elbow for around 18 months and that, combined with personal problems off court, contributed to a sudden dip in form. He won four major tournaments on the bounce before Wimbledon last year but has gone past the semi-finals only once now in the last five. He will hope a break can help him rediscover his groove for the start of 2018.
Andy Murray
Murray had to skip the French Open in 2013 due to a back injury and while he managed to win Wimbledon that summer, the problem flared up again later in the year. Murray decided to take three months off to undergo surgery but it was not until later in 2014 that he was able to train again at full pelt. He returned to form in 2015 and overtook Djokovic to become world number one at the end of last year. But shingles, two bouts of flu and a hip injury have derailed his progress this season and Murray is now considering his options ahead of the US Open this autumn.
Source: PA
