Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open and faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon after an MRI scan revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.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 the bad news and he was forced to withdraw from his quarter-final against Casper Ruud, which was due to be played on Wednesday.
As a result, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will lose his world No. 1 ranking to Italian Jannik Sinner after the French Open.
With Wimbledon less than four weeks away, it doesn’t look like Djokovic will play the championships. 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 the clay surface on Philippe Chatrier and asked for the court to be brushed more often, a request that was denied. He blamed the condition of the court for the slip that caused his injury – a worsening pain in the knee that he revealed he had been feeling for a few weeks before Roland Garros.
Djokovic struggled through his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo
The reigning champion was seen in a tense conversation with his wife Jelena during the match
Jelena stood up in the player’s box and reacted after Djokovic dropped a point on serve
‘Could this injury have been prevented?’ he said after the match. ‘Maybe, if only the track was paid more attention to during the set. That’s all I ask.’
Djokovic also had a domestic dispute with his wife Jelena during the five-set victory over Cerundolo.
He got a break at 2-0 in the deciding fifth set, but after being awarded a point for 30-30 he was visibly indignant.
Djokovic then walked back to pick up more balls to begin his next serve, before turning to his family in the box on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The cameras captured the tense altercation, with Djokovic gesticulating angrily with his hands and shouting at his team.
You then see how his wife stands upright in the box on the stands and responds to her husband in the same way.
Djokovic’s withdrawal means there will be a new champion at Roland-Garros this year and the Serbian could also lose his world number 1 spot.
After the victory, Djokovic revealed for the first time that he was struggling with a knee problem.
“For the last few weeks I have had mild discomfort in the right knee,” he said.
‘But I played with it and until today there were no problems. Of course, the late finish a few nights ago didn’t help.
‘In the third game of the second set I slipped, one of the many times I slipped and fell today. That had consequences for the knee.
‘At one point I honestly didn’t know whether I should continue. I was given medication and after the third set I asked for more.
“That was the maximum dose that took effect after 30 to 45 minutes, which was about the end of the fourth when things really started to improve.
‘In fact, the entire fifth set went almost without pain. But the effect of the medication will not last too long. After the match we did some tests together with the doctor. There is positive news, but also concerns, so let’s take a look tomorrow.’
