Novak Djokovic withdraws from French Open with knee injury after ...

21 day ago

Eurosport.com

ByEurosport

Updated 04/06/2024 at 16:08 GMT

Novak Djokovic's five-set thriller against Francisco Cerundolo was one of the best matches of the 2024 French Open, but it came at a cost. The Serbian superstar suffered an injury during the match and afterwards he was unsure whether or not he'd be able to play in his quarter-final clash against Norway's Casper Ruud. Now the French Open has confirmed that he won't be able to and he has withdrawn.

‘I was not feeling comfortable’ - Djokovic reflects on win over Musetti

Photo Eurosport.com

The French Open has confirmed that men's top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from the Grand Slam with a knee injury.

Djokovic suffered the injury against Francisco Cerundolo in his previous match, as the Serbian star battled back in dramatic fashion to win in five epic sets.

However, Djokovic suffered a right-knee injury and after the game was unsure whether he could carry on playing at the Grand Slam.

Now, the tournament organisers have confirmed that he has been forced to withdraw.

Djokovic's withdrawal means Ruud has progressed to the semi-finals.

The Serb's early exit also means Jannik Sinner becomes the new No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time.

The 22-year-old is the first Italian male in tennis history to become a world No. 1.

Djokovic had a scan on the injury after Monday's match which revealed a "torn medial meniscus" in his right knee.

He felt the court was slippery and added after the match in his press conference that the on-court conditions were "not common".

Novak Djokovic v Francisco Cerundolo - Roland-Garros highlights

“We cannot treat these conditions as common conditions,” Djokovic said.

“They are not common. We had really bad weather for days, even a week. So that has affected the court itself.“I'm sure that the groundspeople have their hands full. I know they're working very hard. I'm not saying they are doing it the wrong way. Absolutely not. They are doing their best.

“I'm just trying to understand, you know, if a player is feeling a certain way then what else do we need to wait for that to happen?

'Don't know what will happen' - Djokovic admits knee injury could force him out of French Open

“I mean, today I injured myself. Yes, I survived. I won the match. Great. But will I be able to play the next one? I don't know.

“I don't know the severity of the injury. But could this injury be prevented? Possibly, if, you know, if there was just a little bit more of a frequent care of the court during the set.

“That's basically all I ask for.”

You can watch every day of the 2024 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+