Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the French Open due to a knee injury sustained during his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
The 37-year-old underwent an MRI scan in Paris on Tuesday afternoon and has been forced to withdraw from his quarter-final against Casper Ruud tomorrow.
Djokovic’s scan revealed a “torn medial meniscus in his right knee”, which makes the 24-time grand slam champion a serious doubt for Wimbledon. The Championships begin on 1 July.
As a result of Djokovic’s withdrawal, there will be a new French Open men’s champion this week, while Italian Jannik Sinner will become world No 1 for the first time on Monday.
Djokovic slipped on court at the start of the second set against Cerundolo, taking a medical timeout as he grimaced in pain. The Serbian played on after taking the maximum dose of painkillers available to him, battling from behind to win in five sets in four hours and 39 minutes.
Djokovic blamed the condition of the court for his injury, insisting the clay was too slippery and should have been swept during the sets by the ground staff. The defending champion took to court barely a day and a half after finishing his third-round match against Lorenzo Musetti, which also went to five sets, at 3am on Sunday.
Djokovic said after his win over Cerundolo that he had been battling the injury for a couple of weeks but that it had flared up after slipping on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Djokovic was attempting to win the French Open for a fourth time to extend his grand slam record to 25 singles titles. He defeated the Norwegian Ruud in last year’s final but now there will be no last-eight rematch.
His shock exit from the tournament means Djokovic has still not won a title in 2024. The extent of his injury, which was confirmed in a statement released by the French Open, could have significant implications for the rest of his season.
Djokovic was looking to win his eighth Wimbledon title next month, while the Championships are followed by the Olympic Games in Paris. The Olympic title is the only major honour Djokovic has not won in the sport and the most successful men’s player in history will be 41 by the time of the next Games in Los Angeles.
Djokovic had to defend his French Open title to keep the world No 1 ranking, which now falls to Sinner. The 22-year-old defeated Djokovic on his way to winning his first grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, and he becomes the first world No 1 from Italy in the history of the rankings.
Djokovic’s withdrawal means two-time French Open runner-up Ruud will progress to the semi-finals, where he will face either Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur. On the other side of the draw, Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in Sunday’s final.
The news of Djokovic’s withdrawal broke during Sinner’s straight-sets win over Grigor Dimitrov and he was told he was becoming the new world No 1 during his on-court interview: “It’s a special moment for me,” he said.
“First of all it’s everyone’s dream to be number one in the world, but seeing Novak retiring, it’s disappointing. I wish him a speedy recovery.”