Novak Djokovic withdrew from the 2024 Roland Garros due to a knee injury, and he is reportedly set to undergo surgery on Wednesday in Paris.
Djokovic was scheduled to play Norway’s Casper Ruud in the quarterfinal of the tournament but announced his withdrawal on Tuesday. He underwent an MRI scan that showed he tore his meniscus during the match against Francisco Cerundolo in the last 16, which he won in five sets.
The victory over the 23rd-seeded Argentinian on Monday had dire consequences because Djokovic, who had been carrying a knee injury into the match, slipped on the court multiple times and exacerbated the damage.
It didn’t take Djokovic and his coaching team long to decide upon the confirmation of test results. The 37-year-old is now not looking to play through the pain, as was the case in the match against Cerundolo, where he took some painkillers to help him get through the match.
According to L’Equipe, Djokovic will remain in Paris and undergo knee surgery on Wednesday, a day when he was originally scheduled to play Ruud, until his walkover.
The French outlet also indicated that the Serbian’s absence from the courts will last at least three weeks. Given the short window of rehab and recovery until his next tournament, Djokovic will likely skip Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympics. Main draw action at Wimbledon begins on July 1st.
That will mean he won’t need to change surfaces during his return to practice. This year’s Olympic tennis tournament will be held at Stade Roland Garros, the same venue used for the clay-court Grand Slam.
As he spends the 428th week of his career as World No. 1 before Jannik Sinner officially takes over after Roland Garros, Djokovic will set his sights on bagging the one missing accolade on his trophy cabinet: an Olympics gold medal.
