ATP World No.1 Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the French Open on Tuesday after an MRI scan revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The news came just hours after his hard-fought five-set victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the Fourth Round, during which he struggled physically and required knee treatment after an early slip in the match.
His withdrawal and subsequent knee surgery ends his pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and will result in losing the world No. 1 ranking to Italian Jannik Sinner later this month. The defending champion was scheduled to play Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. As a result of the injury, the seventh-seeded Norwegian progressed directly to the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic visibly struggled on the court in the game against Francisco Cerundolo due to a knee injury he had been dealing with for weeks. He voiced his frustration about the court conditions, indicating that he was slipping and sliding excessively, which worsened his injury. He paused the game several times to receive medical attention and was given an anti-inflammatory medication during the match to manage the discomfort.
Withdrawing from the tournament, the 24-Grand Slam Champion made a brief statement:
“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros. I played with all 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 the love and continued support.”
He thanked his team, doctors, and fans in an Instagram post after a successful knee surgery and is optimistic about his recovery. Djokovic holds an 18-6 record in 2024.
In the French Open, he defeated world No. 142 Pierre-Hugues Herbert (6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4), world No. 63 Roberto Carballes Baena (6-4, 6-1, 6-2), world No. 30 Lorenzo Musetti (7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0) and world No. 27 Francisco Cerundolo (6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3) before his withdrawal.
Djokovic will lose his world No. 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner and drop to No. 3 in the ATP rankings if Carlos Alcaraz wins at Roland Garros. Djokovic currently has 9,960 points and will lose 1,600 points when the French Open concludes, leaving him 8,360 points ahead of Wimbledon.
If the Serb doesn’t participate in Wimbledon, he will lose an additional 1,200 points, reducing his total to 7,160 points. Depending on the performances of his rivals, he could drop further in the rankings. Alcaraz, the defending Wimbledon champion, could fall below Djokovic again if he has an early exit at Wimbledon, even if he wins the French Open.
Boris Becker, Djokovic’s previous coach and current Eurosport pundit, expressed concerns about Djokovic’s ability to compete at Wimbledon this season. He expressed his worries about Djokovic’s recent knee surgery and the risk the seven-time Wimbledon winner would expose himself to, should he decide to participate.
“It’s a serious injury and it won’t go away tomorrow. That leaves me a bit speechless. You need your knees on the grass, you do slip all the time. A torn medial meniscus is a serious injury and the question naturally arises as to whether surgery is necessary.”
Wimbledon kicks off on the 1st of July, and the Serb is unlikely to be healed and fit to participate in the tournament and the subsequent Olympics in Paris later that month.
Djokovic is yet to secure an Olympic gold medal and considers it a top priority this year, but his recent knee injury has become a major obstacle. Djokovic’s decision to undergo immediate surgery will allow him to recover in time for the competition.
Djokovic has constantly faced setbacks at the Olympics. He won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In 2021 at Tokyo, he finished fourth in both singles and mixed doubles events, after he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the singles semi-finals and lost the bronze-medal match to Pablo Carreno Busta.
Despite his challenges with the knee injury and uncertainties about Wimbledon, his determination to pursue Olympic success remains strong. Only time will reveal how his injury and other factors will influence his ability to achieve this goal.
ANDY MURRAY’S SCHEDULE FOR THE GRASS-COURT SEASON
Andy Murray has quickly transitioned into the Grass Court season after first-round exits in both the Singles and Doubles at Roland Garros. The Brit announced that he and his team are making strategic decisions regarding his Grass court schedule ahead of the 2024 Wimbledon tournament.
Murray had signed up earlier to defend his title at the Surbiton Trophy in June, which would have marked his first tournament on grass courts. However, since the tournament coincides with the second week of the French Open, where he featured and lost in the men’s doubles alongside Dan Evans, he withdrew from the Surbiton Trophy.
Murray acknowledged his eagerness to play on grass after experiencing back pain throughout the clay court season. After the singles defeat to Stan Wawrinka, Thiago Seyboth Wild, and Sebastian Baez at the doubles, he admitted he didn’t feel good through the clay season.
“My back has been a problem the last few weeks. For practice and stuff, it has not been great. To be honest I always used to have a procedure on my back the week before the French Open. ‘In my prime, clay always caused issues with my back. So I would always have a procedure the week before the French Open. I didn’t this year. I was moving okay. Not feeling that comfortable on the court.”
Murray has 46 career singles titles and only three were won on clay. Two are Masters titles, with his victories in Madrid (2015) and Rome (2016). He has also reached the French Open final in 2016, where he lost to Djokovic.
He expressed no regrets for his loss at the French Open, highlighting the positive experience gained and the chance to focus on preparing for the upcoming grass court season.
“I felt like we had a good chance to do well and we agreed if we were going to play, we would play to try and win the tournament. So no I don’t regret playing at all.”
The 37-year-old has been undergoing medical treatment for his back pain, although nothing too serious, to prepare him for competition at the grass court. He is now focused on the Boss Open in Stuttgart, which will be held from June 10-16, instead of defending his Challenger title in Nottingham. Andy Murray will then step onto Centre Court, in what would be an emotional moment for the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champions.
Looking ahead to Wimbledon, Murray hinted at a potential doubles partnership with his brother, Jamie. The two-time Wimbledon champion sees this as an opportunity to compete at the highest level in his final tournament, and also also a chance to secure a place in this year’s Olympics alongside his brother.
While Wimbledon seems the most logical venue for Murray to end his illustrious career, the Brit will be tempted to consider another shot at the Olympics in Paris, which could be his final appearance as a professional player, with his best chance likely being in doubles.
He is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio (2012 and 2016). The Olympic Games in Paris are scheduled to begin on July 24, with direct entry given to the top 56 in the rankings as of June 10.
Murray, who plays with a metal hip, previously confirmed his plans to retire this summer, saying, “I’m likely not going to play past this summer.”
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