Djokovic withdraws from French Open with knee injury
World number one Novak Djokovic's disappointing season continued on Tuesday, when the defending French Open champion was forced to withdraw from the Grand Slam before his quarterfinal due to a knee injury that could jeopardise his Wimbledon and Olympic hopes.
The injury sustained in his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo ended the Serb's quest to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam trophy, and he will lose his top ranking to Italian Jannik Sinner later this month.
"Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan), Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland Garros tournament," tournament organisers said.
Ruud, last year's runner-up and seventh seed, will now advance to the semi-finals, where he could face fourth seed Alexander Zverev or eleventh seed Alex de Minaur.
Djokovic expressed disappointment on Instagram about withdrawing from the tournament, which he has won three times before.
"I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday's match," Djokovic said. "Unfortunately... 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."
Sinner stated that it was not the way he hoped to take the top spot, and that Djokovic's departure was a loss for the tournament.
"It's not the way we all were expecting, actually. He had two very long matches, tough matches, five sets, so it's tough. The first one he finished really late also," Sinner said.
"It's tough also for the tournament. Novak retiring, it's always tough."
Monday's marathon match was Djokovic's second straight five-set match since his epic against Lorenzo Musetti, and he has spent more than nine hours on court in the last two rounds of the year's second major.
The Serb stated that he had been suffering from an injury for a few weeks and that the problem worsened when he slipped during his match against Cerundolo, which he finished with painkillers.
The injury could also cast doubt on his fitness ahead of next month's Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, but Ruud remained optimistic, wishing Djokovic well on X.
"Speedy recovery Nole. Hope to see you back and healthy on the grass," Ruud said.
Djokovic has had a forgettable season, with his bid for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title cut short by eventual champion Sinner in the semi-finals, followed by an early loss to lucky loser Luca Nardi at Indian Wells.
After being stunned by Ruud in the Monte Carlo semi-finals, Djokovic was thrashed 6-2 6-3 by Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Rome tournament last month, two days after being hit in the head by a fan's water bottle while signing autographs.
He was also defeated in three sets by unheralded Tomas Machac in the Geneva semi-finals before Roland Garros.
Djokovic is still without a trophy this year, following one of the most dominant seasons of his glittering career in 2023, when he won three of the four Grand Slam titles.
SportsLigue