Novak Djokovic’s French Open title defense has ended in unfortunate circumstances. Djokovic announced on Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the 2024 edition of the Grand Slam tournament due to a knee injury.
Djokovic hurt his knee in the second set of his fourth-round match against Argentinean Francisco Cerundolo. Despite dealing with pain and discomfort, Djokovic managed to bounce back from 1-2 deficit to win the match and go through to the quarterfinals where he was supposed to play Casper Rudd.
However, an MRI of Djokovic’s knee showed that he was dealing with a torn meniscus, making it impossible for him to continue playing.
“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros,” Djokovic said in a statement. “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.”
It is unclear what Djokovic’s next step will be. If he elects surgery, he might jeoprodize his appearance on Wimbledon. The Serbian is currently pursuing a record for a Grand Slam title, needing just one more to break a tie with Margaret Court.
Due to Djokovic’s withdrawal from the French Open, he will forfeit the world’s No.1 to Italian Jannik Sinner. It also means that Rudd will automatically advance to the semi-finals, where he’ll face the winner of the match between Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur.
