What Djokovic can learn from rejuvenated Federer

Novak Djokovic's injured elbow has forced an end to his 2017 season and the former world No.1 will hope to return refreshed in 2018.

But in his bid to end a long-running malaise he has produced an eerie coincidence to Roger Federer's own struggles midway through last year.

The 19-time major winner required knee surgery in February - the first major operation of his career - and suffered a back problem that saw him miss the French Open.

He then called time on his 2016 season on July 26, before returning to the ATP tour in January.

NEXT UP: Federer and Nadal in race for world No.1 ranking

Federer has since won the Australian Open, two Masters 1000 tournaments and, after skipping the French Open for a second consecutive year, Wimbledon.

Now it is Djokovic's turn, and his announcement also came on July 26 - the same date as Federer's last year.

Can Djokovic experience a Federer-like turnaround with a few months out of the game?

If the 30-year-old Serb is to find success in 2018, he will need to do so from a lower standing.

Djokovic is expected to fall out of the top 10 in the ATP rankings, where he has been for the last 10 years and four months.

That would put him on a collision course with the likes of top seeds Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray at next year's Australian Open.

Federer won in Melbourne this year as the No.17 seed, the lowest men's champion since Thomas Johansson won from No.16 in 2002, and faced four top-10 seeds from the third round onwards.

While Djokovic's run of 51 consecutive grand slam appearances has come to an end, it is unlikely that his days as a contender are over.

Early exits at Wimbledon in 2016 and the 2017 Australian Open are his only recent blemishes, with quarter-finals at this year's French Open and Wimbledon a positive sign for his tennis.

But the tour slog is a different story.

"My elbow is hurt due to excessive playing," Djokovic said.

"It troubles me constantly when serving, and now when playing forehand as well."

With management of his body more important than ever, Djokovic would do well to take a peek at Federer's pared-back schedule.

It might just win him a grand slam or two.