Novak Djokovic forced to withdraw from French Open with knee injury

Novak Djokovic is out of the French Open with a knee injury (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

Defending champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open due to a knee injury.

The world number one suffered the injury to his right knee during his five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.

Djokovic revealed after the match that he would undergo a scan on Tuesday to determine whether he would be able to continue at the tournament.

Djokovic has withdrawn from Roland-Garros due to a right knee injury.

Wishing Novak a speedy recovery 🧡 pic.twitter.com/Ilb6HynTzw

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2024

The MRI scan has subsequently shown the 37-year-old tore the medial meniscus in his right knee, forcing him out of the grand slam.

Djokovic wrote on instagram: “I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros.

“I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday’s match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.

“I wish the best of luck to the players competing this week and sincerely thank the incredible fans for all of the love and continued support.”

Roland Garros organisers said: “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 quarter-finals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament.”

Norwegian seventh seed Ruud will therefore progress straight to the semi-finals.

Djokovic’s withdrawal also means Italian Jannik Sinner will become world number one at the end of the tournament.

The 24-time grand slam champion’s participation at Wimbledon could also be thrown into doubt.

Djokovic suffered the injury to his right knee during his five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday (Christophe Ena/AP)

Djokovic blamed the slippery court for the injury, which he appeared to sustain at the start of the second set.

He began grimacing and rubbing his right knee shortly after taking the first set and required a medical time-out at 2-1 down in the second.

Djokovic was heard telling the physio: “I screwed up my knee. I’m slipping and sliding all the time.”

Four games later, having asked for the court to be swept, he complained to a tournament supervisor about the state of the surface, saying: “I’m telling you as a player, it’s not OK.”

Djokovic blamed the slippery court for the injury (Christophe Ena/AP)

When the official told Djokovic the grounds people felt the court was fine, the Serbian snapped: “They know better than me the court is good or not?”

Djokovic took two doses of medication which he revealed kicked in towards the end of the fourth set, allowing him to finish the match and register a record 370th grand slam victory.

“I’m glad that I was able to play the fifth set and last three, four games of the fourth without feeling that pain that I felt for two-and-a-half sets,” he said.

“But yeah, you never know what will happen tomorrow.”

A torn medial meniscus is a serious injury and the question naturally arises as to whether surgery is necessary

Boris Becker, Eurosport pundit and Djokovic’s former coach, fears for his chances of competing at Wimbledon, where he is a seven-time champion.

Becker said: “It’s a serious injury and it won’t go away tomorrow. That leaves me a bit speechless.

“You need your knees on grass, you really do slip all the time. A torn medial meniscus is a serious injury and the question naturally arises as to whether surgery is necessary.”