24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open after injuring his right knee at the tournament.
The Serbian underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday afternoon to evaluate the extent of his injury before deciding if he should continue playing. During his fourth round clash against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, Djokovic was given anti-inflammatories multiple times to cope with knee pain after tweaking it on the court. After the match, he revealed to reporters that he has been dealing with knee pain in recent weeks.
In an official press release issued by the French Open, Djokovic has suffered a torn meniscus but no more details have been given so far. The setback comes less than a month before Wimbledon starts and less than two months before the Olympic Games in Paris, where the Serbian is gunning after his first gold medal.
“Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan performed today), Novak Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament,” the press release stated.
During his last match, Djokovic voiced concerns about the court and asked for it to be swept after every two change of ends instead of after every set. A request that was denied. Speaking to reporters last night, he said the surface quality had been affected by drier conditions following a week of poor weather. However, he didn’t point the blame at anybody.
“The injury that I had today (Monday) with the knee happened exactly because of that because I slipped and slid a lot,” he said.
“Everyone slides on clay, but I slipped way too many times. That is quite unusual. I do, because I have an aggressive kind of movement, dynamic change of directions. It’s normal for me.
“I’ve slipped and fallen on the clay many times in my life, and on grass as well, but this was just too many times.”
The withdrawal has huge ramifications for the men’s game. Not only will there be a new champion in Paris this year, Jannik Sinner will rise to No.1 in the ATP PIF rankings next Monday. Becoming the first Italian man in history to reach this position since the system was introduced in 1973.
Neither Djokovic nor his team are yet to issue a statement. Meanwhile, Casper Ruud is through to the semi-finals in Paris for the third consecutive year and will play either Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur.
