Novak Djokovic will not defend his title at this year’s Roland Garros tournament. The Serbian tennis player announced on Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the tournament due to a right knee injury. Djokovic was scheduled to face last year’s finalist, Casper Ruud, in the quarterfinals. As a result, Ruud advances to the semifinals without playing.
Grueling Match Leads to Withdrawal
Djokovic played an exhausting match against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round on Monday. The match lasted four hours and 39 minutes, with Djokovic winning 6:1, 5:7, 3:6, 7:5, 6:3. This was the longest match Djokovic has played at Roland Garros, surpassing his previous match against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti by 10 minutes.
Djokovic won the first set against Cerundolo easily, but then struggled with health issues. Throughout the match, he had his calf and knee massaged multiple times. At 1-2 in sets, he was losing 2-4 in the fourth set but managed to stay in the game. Unfortunately, the health problems proved to be more serious, and on Tuesday, organizers announced that Djokovic would not continue in this year’s tournament. Djokovic mentioned in the press conference after the match that he was unsure if he could continue playing in the tournament.
“I’ve felt slight discomfort in my right knee for the past few weeks, but it wasn’t anything that worried me. I’ve played in several tournaments with it, and there were no issues until today,” Djokovic explained, adding that he finished the match against the Argentine on painkillers.
New Champion, New World Number One
Djokovic’s withdrawal means that Jannik Sinner will take the lead in the world rankings on Monday. The Italian will become the 29th player in history to lead the ATP rankings, which have been in existence since 1973.
On Tuesday, Sinner confidently defeated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals, winning 6:2, 6:4, 7:6 (7-3).
Men’s Singles Quarterfinals at Roland Garros
- Novak Djokovic (Serbia, 1) vs. Casper Ruud (Norway, 7):Â Ruud advances by walkover
- Alexander Zverev (Germany, 4) vs. Alex de Minaur (Australia, 11)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece, 9) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain, 3)
Djokovic’s withdrawal marks a significant change in this year’s Roland Garros, opening the door for new talent to shine and for Jannik Sinner to make history as the new world number one.