Novak Djokovic pulls out of French Open 2024 with knee injury, Sinner set to become new world number one

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 Francisco Cerundolo.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during his fourth round match of the French Open 2024 tennis tournament against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. | Photo Credit: AP

Defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out of the French Open 2024 ahead of his quarterfinal due to a knee injury sustained in his marathon fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo, organisers said on Tuesday.

The withdrawal ended the Serb’s quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam trophy and will result in him losing the world number one 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, 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.

He needed to get back to the title match in Paris to retain his hold atop the ATP rankings. With the withdrawal, he now will be replaced by current No. 2 Jannik Sinner, an Italian who was playing his quarterfinal on Tuesday.