- The Serbian star was visibly struggling during his fourth-round victory.
- Scans revealed that Djokovic had suffered a tear to the medial meniscus in his right knee.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open and faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon after an MRI revealed a medial meniscus tear in his right knee.
The 37-year-old suffered the injury in his fourth round match against Francisco Cerundolo but still managed to win in five sets. But scans revealed bad news and he was forced to withdraw from the quarter-final match against Casper Ruud, which was due to be played on Wednesday.
As a result, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will lose his world number one ranking to Italian Jannik Sinner after the French Open.
With Wimbledon less than four weeks away, the odds appear to be against Djokovic playing in the championship. The next big event is the Olympic Games here at Roland Garros in July and August.
During and after his match against Cerundolo, Djokovic complained about the state of Philippe Chatrier’s clay surface and requested that the court be brushed more frequently, a request that was denied. He blamed the state of the court for the slip that led to his injury, exacerbating the knee pain he revealed he had felt for a couple of weeks before Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic struggled in his fourth round clash against Francisco Cerundolo
The reigning champion was seen in a tense exchange with his wife Jelena during the match.
Jelena was standing in the players’ box responding after Djokovic lost a point on his serve.
‘Could this injury have been avoided?’ he said after the game. ‘Possibly, if there was a little more care of the court during the set. That’s all I ask.
Djokovic was also seen having a domestic dispute with his wife Jelena during the five-set victory over Cerundolo.
He found himself with a 2-0 lead in the decisive fifth set, but after conceding a point at 30-30 he was visibly incensed.
Djokovic then returned to collect more balls to begin his next serve, before addressing his family in the Philippe-Chatrier Court box.
Cameras captured the tense exchange, with Djokovic making angry hand gestures and yelling at his team.
His wife can then be seen standing in the box of the stands, responding in the same way to her husband as he raged on the field.
Djokovic’s withdrawal comes just minutes after the French Open account on social media platform X posted a video of the Serb arriving at Roland-Garros with the caption “the marathon man is here.”
Speaking after his fourth-round victory, Djokovic revealed for the first time that he had been struggling with a knee problem.
Djokovic showed impressive resilience and managed to persevere under difficult circumstances.
“For the last two weeks I’ve had slight discomfort in my right knee,” he said.
‘But I was playing with it and I had no problems until today. Of course, the late finish a few nights ago didn’t help.
‘In the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of many times I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee.
“At one point, to be honest, I didn’t know if I should continue. I got medication and then after the third set I asked for more.
“That was the maximum dose that took effect after 30 to 45 minutes, which was near the end of the quarter when things really started to improve.
‘Basically, the entire fifth set was almost pain-free. But the effect of the medicine will not last long. We did some tests with the doctor after the game. Some positive news but also some concerns, so we’ll see tomorrow.”
During the match with Cerundolo, he summoned tournament supervisor Wayne McKewen to the court to respond to his complaints.
‘Explain to me, why is it so important to get people going on the court?’ Djokovic said.
‘I broke my knee because I made a quick move. I slip and slide all the time.
“The only thing I’m asking is if you can make a splash on the pitch every second change.”
“I asked and the groundskeeper said the course is normal for them,” McKewan said.
‘For them?! I tell you that as a player it is not good and that you will go with the country people who never play tennis. Do they know better than me that the pitch is good or not? Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.’
