Novak Djokovic pulled out of Roland Garros 2024 after injuring his knee during his fourth-round win against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
Djokovic was scheduled to play Casper Ruud in the tournament’s quarter-final on Wednesday and he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after undergoing a Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) scan on Tuesday.
The scan revealed a “torn medial meniscus in his right knee” that makes him a doubt for the next Grand Slam, Wimbledon, which starts on July 1, as he may have to undergo surgery.
The Serb will also lose his number 1 spot for the first time in 428 weeks as Jannik Sinner is set to claim Djokovic’s spot in the ATP rankings.
Djokovic was eyeing his record-extending 25th Grand Slam and his fourth French Open but it seems that the Serb will have to wait for his fourth Roland Garros title for at least one more year and by that time, he will be 38 years old.
During his win over Curendolo, Djokovic slipped on the court at the start of the second set after which he took a medical timeout. The 37-year-old didn’t stop and went on to compete after taking painkillers.
For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort, I would call it, in the right knee, but I haven't had an injury that would be concerning me at all," said Djokovic in his post-match press conference. "I was playing a few tournaments with it, and had no issues until today.
“Of course, [the] late finish from a few nights ago didn't help the sleeping, the biorhythm, and recovery. But I actually felt great coming into the match — as good as I could under the circumstances — and played really well first set. Then in the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of the many times that I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee.”
With Djokovic out of the French Open, it will be interesting to see how long it would take for him to recover from the injury as Wimbledon starts on July 1.
