Novak Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion, has withdrawn from the French Open after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee during his last-16 win over Francisco Cerúndolo.
The injury, which means Djokovic will relinquish the world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner, was confirmed in a statement by tournament organisers after the 37-year-old underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday. The Serbian, who must now be regarded as touch and go for both Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics, later took to social media to express his disappointment.
“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros,” wrote Djokovic, who had been scheduled to play Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals.
“I played with 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 of the love and continued support.”
The injury marks the culmination of a difficult few days for Djokovic, who completed his third-round win over Lorenzo Musetti at 3.07am on Sunday, the latest finish in the tournament’s history, and returned to battle through another epic five-setter against Cerundolo the following day.
Having experienced discomfort in his knee before facing the Argentinian, Djokovic sustained further damage after slipping early in the second set, and following medical treatment he became involved in an animated exchange with Wayne McKewen, the tournament supervisor, over the condition of the playing surface, which he felt was lacking the usual amount of clay.
A request for the court to be swept more frequently fell on deaf ears, however, and although he went on to win after taking pain killers, Djokovic reacted furiously when he slipped again in the decider. He later expressed uncertainty about whether he would be able to continue his title defence.
With his worst fears confirmed, Djokovic now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be fit to continue his quest for a record 25th grand slam title at the All England Club and challenge for an Olympic gold medal, the only significant honour to have eluded him, when the tennis world reconvenes at Roland Garros in July.
His withdrawal means that Ruud, the Norwegian seventh seed, who was beaten by the Serb in last year’s final and lost at the same stage to Rafael Nadal two years ago, advances to the last four, where he will face either Alexander Zverev or Alex De Minaur.
Sinner, meanwhile, will become the first Italian world No 1 since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973 when the new list is published next week. The 22-year-old, who defeated Djokovic en route to winning his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, learned of his elevated status after defeating Grigor Dimitrov 62, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to reach the semi-finals in Paris for the first time.
“What can I say?” said Sinner. “First of all, it’s every player’s dream to become No 1 in the world. In another way, seeing Novak retire here is disappointing for everyone. I wish him a speedy recovery.
“I tried not think so much about this because this is a tournament where I used to struggle a lot, especially in the last two years.
“It’s a special moment for me.”
With 14-time winner Rafael Nadal beaten in the opening round by Zverev and Roger Federer in retirement, Djokovic’s withdrawal means that someone from outside the big three will be crowned French Open champion for the first time since 2004.
On Friday, Sinner will attempt to reach a second straight grand slam final against either Carlos Alcaraz, who was overwhelmed by nerves against Djokovic in last year’s semi-finals, or Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost to the Serb in the 2021 final after leading by two sets to love. All will hope to make the most of Djokovic’s absence.