Novak Djokovic withdraws from the French Open with a knee injury

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open due to a knee injury which had plagued his fourth-round victory against Francisco Cerúndolo on Monday.

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open due to a knee injury which had plagued his fourth-round victory against Francisco Cerúndolo on Monday. Defending champion Djokovic was aiming to win his 25th grand slam title at Roland Garros, but pain in his right knee flared up during a bruising, five-set contest against Cerúndolo. Tournament organizers confirmed the Serbian world No. 1’s withdrawal from the tournament in a post on X on Tuesday, wishing him a speedy recovery. An MRI scan revealed that Djokovic tore his meniscus, per Eurosport, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The 37-year-old’s hard-fought victory against Cerúndolo came just two days after he played another five-set match against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, which finished just after 3 a.m. local time. And while Djokovic showed phenomenal resolve and perseverance to come back and win against Cerúndolo, he later admitted to having concerns about pain in his right knee, which he said only subsided once his medication had kicked in near the end of the match. “At one point, I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue or not with what’s happening,” Djokovic told reporters on Monday.