Defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out of the French Open ahead of his quarter-final match due to a knee injury sustained in his marathon fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo, the organisers said on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old needed medication during his 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Cerundolo that sent him to the quarter finals after four hours and 39 minutes.
The withdrawal ended the Serb’s quest for a record-extending 25th grand slam trophy and will result in him losing the world No. 1 ranking to Italian Jannik Sinner later this month.
“Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan), Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarter finals tomorrow (Wednesday), has been forced to withdraw from the Roland Garros tournament,” organisers said.
Last year’s runner-up Ruud will advance to the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Monday’s marathon match was the second straight clash in which Djokovic was taken to five sets after his epic against Lorenzo Musetti.
The Serb said he had been carrying an injury for a couple of weeks and that the problem flared up when he slipped during his match against Cerundolo.
“At one point I didn’t know whether I should continue or not with what’s happening. I got the medications and then, after the third set was done, I asked for more medications and got them,” said Djokovic after the match.
