PARIS (France) : Serbian tennis star and defending champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday withdrew from the ongoing French Open due to an injury in his right knee.
The official X handle of the French Open made the announcement just hours after Djokovic made it to the quarterfinals of the competition by beating Francisco Cerundolo by 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. This match was another hard-fought affair for Djokovic, as he was trailing by two sets at one point, but he bounced back big time once again to prove his big-match prowess.
“Djokovic has withdrawn from Roland-Garros due to a right knee injury. Wishing Novak a speedy recovery,” tweeted the official tournament account.
https://x.com/rolandgarros/status/1798004467494957343
During his match against Cerundolo, Djokovic was struggling with his right knee.
“For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort, I would call it, in the right knee, but I have not had an injury that would be concerning me at all. I was playing a few tournaments with it, and had no issues until today,” said Djokovic.
Meanwhile, the two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud has advanced to the semifinals and will play the fourth-seed Alexander Zverev or the 11th-seed Alex de Minaur for a spot in the final.
With Djokovic’s withdrawal, Jannik Sinner is guaranteed his top spot in the ATP Rankings, becoming the first-ever Italian player to achieve the feat. (ANI)