Djokovic pulls a Federer by ending season on July 26

Novak Djokovic announced Wednesday that he's pulling the plug on his 2017 season. The Serb has been dealing with an elbow injury, recently diagnosed as a bone bruise. He's also expecting a second child with his wife Jelena in the coming weeks.

"This is one of those injuries where nothing can really help instantly. You just have to allow natural rehabilitation to take its course," Djokovic said. "Professionally, this is not, obviously, an easy decision for me." He added that Andre Agassi will remain his long-term coach.

The fact that the world No. 4 is calling it a year on July 26 is an important detail—it's the exact same date one year ago that Roger Federer announced an identical five-month hiatus (due to a lingering knee injury).

Federer's last match in 2016 was a loss in the Wimbledon semifinals to Milos Raonic. Djokovic's last match in 2017 is a loss in the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych (via retirement).

But there's more.

Djokovic will miss the US Open, marking his first missed major since his debut at the 2005 Australian Open, a streak of 51 straight appearances. When Federer started to slip into his lengthy hiatus last year, the first red flag was missing the 2016 French Open, marking his first major absence since the 1999 US Open. The 35-year-old's streak was a record 65 Grand Slam appearances.

Both have had extremely taxing careers, with little to no breaks since first breaking through on the tour as teenagers.

When Federer stepped away last year, he hadn't won a major since Wimbledon in 2012, a drought of four years. Djokovic's Slam-less run is a lot shorter—the 30-year-old won the French Open last year, but his lack of wins have been just as dramatically played out amidst his fans and in the media.

Djokovic's upcoming nosedive in the rankings will also be similar to Federer's last year, as he's predicted to fall to No. 14 by year's end. Federer finished at No. 16 in 2016.

All in all though, a break could really do Djokovic good, just like it did for Federer. The Serb can only dream of having a comeback to match Federer's incredible season in 2017. The Swiss returned in January to win the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Halle and Wimbledon.

Follow Nina on Twitter: @ninapantic1