Roger Federer will lose his reality number one spot after annihilation at the Miami Open - and has reported he will miss the earth court season, including the French Open.
The 36-year-old, who endured a stun 3 6-3 7-6 (7-4) misfortune to world number 175 Thanasi Kokkinakis in Miami, did not play on dirt last season either.
A year ago, he won Wimbledon in the wake of coming back from his break.
The Swiss will be supplanted by Rafael Nadal at the highest point of the new rankings.
On losing his reality number one position, Federer - the guarding Miami champion - stated: "I merit it after this match. I feel so awful."
After the thrashing, he included: "I chose not to play the mud season."
Federer, who won his twentieth Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, started in ordinarily guaranteed style yet was exhausted by Australian qualifier Kokkinakis, 21, who won in two hours 21 minutes.
It was Federer's second misfortune in six days - he saw a 17-coordinate unbeaten run arrive at an end in a tiresome match with Juan Martin del Potro in Indian Wells a weekend ago.
In Miami, he was up against another precise adversary in Kokkinakis, who utilized an awful best turn forehand overwhelming everything in the vicinity.
"It felt like each time I had possibilities, something awful happened - wrong basic leadership by me, great choices from him," he said.
"It's baffling, I don't know why I would never get to a level I was content with."