Djokovic out of French Open with knee injury.

Novak Djokovic has announced his withdrawal from the French Open, citing a knee injury that has been troubling him since his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerúndolo on Monday. The defending champion was aiming for his 25th grand slam title at Roland Garros, but pain in his right knee forced him to step away from the tournament.


Djokovic's knee pain flared up during a grueling five-set match against Cerúndolo, affecting his performance despite his hard-fought victory. The Serbian world No. 1 was diagnosed with a torn meniscus following an MRI scan, which was confirmed by tournament organizers through a post on X.


Djokovic's injury ends his grand slam hopes.

The 37-year-old Djokovic had shown incredible perseverance, having just come off another five-set match against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, which concluded after 3 a.m. local time. Despite the intense competition, Djokovic managed to overcome Cerúndolo but admitted to reporters that he had serious concerns about his knee throughout 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. He mentioned feeling "slight discomfort" in his knee before the tournament, which had not been a major concern until it worsened during his matches.

Persistent rain blamed for slippery courts.

Djokovic revealed that his movement was significantly hampered, particularly when making sudden changes in direction or sprinting to the net. He also pointed out that the persistent rain in Paris made the courts more slippery than usual, which contributed to his injury.

«I slipped way too many times,» Djokovic said. «That is quite unusual I've slipped and fallen on the clay many times in my life, and on grass as well, but this was just too many times today.» He added that more frequent sweeping of the courts could have potentially prevented his injury.

Casper Ruud advances to semifinals.

Djokovic's withdrawal means his scheduled quarterfinal opponent, Norwegian Casper Ruud, will advance to the semifinals. Additionally, Jannik Sinner, the reigning Australian Open champion, will rise to the top of the world rankings for the first time in his career. Sinner, who reached the semifinals on Tuesday after defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-3), will become Italy's first tennis world No. 1.Credit: CNN