Novak Djokovic has had surgery on the right knee injury which forced him to withdraw from the French Open 2024 and will miss Wimbledon, according to a report.
Defending champion Djokovic pulled out of his scheduled quarter-final against Casper Ruud at Roland Garros with an issue he sustained during his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
The 37-year-old had a meniscus operation on Wednesday which will rule him out for three weeks and stop him from competing at the third Grand Slam tournament of the year when it starts on July 1, L’Equipe has said.
The French outlet said Djokovic had a “classic procedure” from a young surgeon in a Parisian clinic and claimed he would “regain support” on his right leg within hours if the surgery is successful.
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L’Equipe added that Djokovic made a swift decision because of his “extreme motivation” to play at the Paris Olympics tennis tournament, which starts on July 27.
Olympic gold is one of the few honours the Serb has not won during his glittering tennis career.
Djokovic knee injury a ‘tear’
Djokovic had been bidding to beat Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major titles by winning in Paris but may now have to wait until the US Open, which begins on August 26.
The seven-time SW19 champion is famed for his remarkable physical endurance, which was initially in evidence at the French Open when he beat Lorenzo Musetti in a five-set third-round match which ended at 3.07am.
His win over Cerundolo lasted more than four-and-a-half hours and featured a comeback from a set and 4-2 behind in the fourth set.
Djokovic Instagram message
Djokovic described himself as “really sad” in a social media post on Tuesday. “I played with my heart and gave my all [against Cerundolo] 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,” he said.
“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.”
Ruud will meet fourth seed Alex Zverev or 11th seed Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals, while world number two Carlos Alcaraz and number three Jannik Sinner face each other.
