Follow live coverage of Roland Garros and reaction to Djokovic’s exit here
The news that Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open with a torn meniscus was one of the breathless moments at Roland Garros.
This wasn’t a huge shock, as Djokovic said after suffering an injury during his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo that he wasn’t sure he would be able to play in the quarterfinals. Still, the significance of losing the world No. 1 and defending champion in this way is huge.
But what impact does Djokovic’s exit have on him, the tournament and the sport as a whole?
What this means for Novak Djokovic
How is Djokovic’s injury?
Djokovic withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The meniscus is a semicircular cartilage located on the inside of the knee joint. This is an extremely common injury among active adults, especially middle-aged men, and can cause varying degrees of pain.
For tennis players, especially over the course of a long career, any tear is more likely to be a slow progression rather than a sudden, acute tear. Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are among the players to have had meniscus tear surgeries in their 30s over the past few years, although the former was Strange injuries sustained by children in the bath.
Rehabilitation does not always require surgery. Some people choose to avoid surgery – which can have long-term complications such as scarring and arthritis – and recover with physical therapy that strengthens the muscles around the knee. Whether this is an option depends on the severity of the tear, and even if it isn’t, the type of surgery depends on the severity of the injury, whether it’s acute or cumulative over time.
Djokovic plays through injury against Francisco Cerundolo (Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images)
American No. 1 Taylor Fritz competed at Wimbledon 23 days after undergoing surgery for a meniscus injury, but he underwent debridement to repair the damaged portion of the meniscus. If Djokovic’s injury is too severe, it will require a full suture repair, which would extend recovery time to months.
deeper
Novak Djokovic withdraws from French Open with knee injury
What do Djokovic and his team have to say about his injury?
not much. The team is still coming to terms with the diagnosis and the reality that Djokovic will not be able to defend his title on Tuesday night, and there was no immediate decision on whether he would undergo surgery.
Anger lingered over tournament organizers’ decision not to heed Djokovic’s warning. It got very slippery and the course became very slippery.
Djokovic confirmed the nature of the injury in an Instagram post about an hour after the tournament was called off, adding: “My team and I have had to make a difficult decision after careful consideration and consultation.”
When will Djokovic return to tennis?
It’s too early to tell. Meniscal tears vary in severity. Needless to say, if Djokovic does show up at Wimbledon on July 1, he likely won’t be as strong as he has been for more than a decade in cementing his place as the world’s best grass-court player.
After Wimbledon, the focus of the tennis world turns to the Olympics at the end of July, where Djokovic will be desperate to win his first gold medal.
What this means for French Open
What does this mean for the French Open draw?
Djokovic’s withdrawal significantly changed the draw for the first half. Casper Ruud, runner-up for the past two years, will bid farewell to the semifinals and will face the winner between Alexander Zverev and Alex De Minaur in the quarterfinals. Zverev is hoping to reach his fourth consecutive French Open semi-final, while De Minaur had only reached the second round here until this year.
What does this mean for tennis more broadly?
Whatever happens, the event will produce a new champion for the first time since 2016 when Djokovic won his first title. Djokovic’s exit also extends his difficult start to this year, with him yet to reach the finals. This is the first time since 2018 that he has entered the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year at the same time, but failed to win either.
It also means that the new ATP Tour world number one, Jannik Sinner, is certain to occupy this position on Monday, June 10, achieving this milestone for the first time in his career.
Djokovic’s ranking position may slip further. He had 1,200 points to defend at Wimbledon, 1,000 points at Cincinnati and 2,000 points at the U.S. Open, for a total of 4,200 points. If he is unable to compete in these events, he will lose all of his points from these events (except for the 1,600 points gained after exiting here relatively early on Monday) and his ranking will drop to around 8th place.
He will then touch the ball and even enter November’s ATP Annual Finals as a top-eight player of the year, his first since finishing in the top-10 after an injury-plagued season in 2017. Worst year-end ranking.
Casper Ruud, who had lost two finals, advanced directly to the semi-finals (Dimita Dilkov/AFP via Getty Images)
What does this mean for organizers of Roland Garros?
Djokovic’s withdrawal is a nightmare for the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
He blamed Monday’s injury on the game and a “very slippery” pitch and said his team would speak to relevant tournament officials. On Tuesday, the strength of Djokovic’s camp remained.
Djokovic’s withdrawal also greatly increases Zverev’s chances of being crowned champion on Sunday. Fourth seed Zverev is defending himself at a court hearing in Berlin against accusations that he abused his ex-girlfriend during a 2020 row.
In October, Berlin’s Criminal Court issued a penalty order fining him 450,000 euros ($489,000; £384,000) for having sex with his daughter’s mother, model and social media personality Brenda Patia. Brenda Patea. Zverev denies the accusations. In Germany, prosecutors can seek penalty orders in cases they deem simple because there is compelling evidence that a trial is not warranted.
deeper
Alexander Zverev is the French Open favorite – and his domestic abuse hearing is about to begin
The defendants have the right to challenge the order, which Zverev has done. A court hearing begins in Berlin on Friday and Zverev does not have to attend. Patia’s testimony will continue Monday and will continue on a series of non-consecutive dates this month and next month.
Unlike other league sports, the ATP Tour and tennis events generally do not have formal policies regarding domestic violence. Zverev winning one of the biggest prizes in the sport would be an extremely uncomfortable situation for the tournament and the sport as a whole.
What do players think?
Postponing the quarterfinals doesn’t do anyone much good. For Rudd himself, it means a potentially rhythm-breaking three days off, and for Wednesday day-ticket holders it means they have one singles match remaining. For both Zverev and De Minaur, whoever advances to face Van Nistelrooy may consider themselves at a disadvantage. Withdrawing at this stage of the tournament – similar to Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022 – immediately raises questions about the integrity of the sport.
One solution is Serendolo, who was defeated by Djokovic, will be reinstated. Tennis already has “lucky losers”: players who lose in qualifying before the main draw can stay on the court and still compete even if players withdraw in the first round.
This concept has yet to be applied to actual competitions. When asked about the possibility, semifinalist Sinner offered the most common objection: “He’s already lost, hasn’t he?”
While reinstating the No. 23 seed would make for a better matchup for the crowd, and it’s hard to argue that Serendolo wouldn’t be a worthy victor if he beat three elite players, it’s not an imperfect solution. . Despite his injury, Djokovic beat him fair and square, earning ranking points and bonuses. In tennis, these are the breaks.
(Above: Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
