Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out of the French Open on Tuesday to nurse an injured knee.
“Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan performed today), Novak Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament,” the French Open organisers said in a statement.
After cruising through the first set 6-1, the 37-year-old hurt his leg early in the second set of his fourth round tie against the 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo.
He called for the court side medical team who massaged his leg. They came out again later in the set which he lost.
After struggling throughout the third and fourth set, Djokovic managed to recapture his mojo and edge the fourth set 7-5 before outwitting Cerundolo to take the decider 6-3 and the match in four hours and 39 minutes.
It was an astonishing performance after Djokovic had spent four and a half hours on court Philippe Chatrier in a five-set match that started at 10.30pm on Saturday night and ended at 3.08am on Sunday morning.
Challenge
But around 18 hours after the end of the fourth round clash, French Open organisers – who will come under sever scrutiny over their scheduling policies – announced Djokovic would not play on Wednesday.
On Friday, Ruud – who Djokovic beat in the 2023 final – will play either the fourth seed Alexander Zverev or the 11th seed Alex de Minaur.
After his clash on Monday, Djokovic said immediate post-match medical checks suggested he might have to withdraw.
"Some positive news but also some maybe concerns," said the Serb who had been seeking a fourth French Open crown and a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
The injury continues a bleak season for Djokovic. In January, Jannik Sinner divested him of his Australian Open title and he lost early at the Indian Wells tournament.
A semi-final at the Monte Carlo Masters suggested a return to form but after skipping the Madrid Open to concentrate on the Italian Open in Rome, he lost in the third round to the unheralded Alejandro Tabilo from Colombia.
Target
Djokovic needed to reach the final in Paris to maintain his place as world number one.
With the forfeit, second-placed Sinner will leapfrog Djokovic into top spot and make history as the first Italian to occupy the berth since the rankings were first computerized on 23 August 1973.
"What can I say," said the 22-year-old after beating the 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov on Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday afternoon to reach the last four at the French Open for the first time.
"First of all it's everyone's dream to become world number one but it's because of Novak's forfeit so I wish him a speedy recovery."
Djokovic's injury-forced departure means that there will be a new name on the Coupe des Mousquetaires on Sunday for the first time since Djokovic won his first title in Paris in 2016.
Nadal annexed the crown between 2017 and 2020 and claimed it for a 14th time in 2022 in between Djokovic's victories in 2021 and 2023.
