Novak Djokovic's former coach, Boris Becker, lamented the Serbian's knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from his quarterfinal match at the 2024 Roland Garros.
Djokovic survived a grueling five-set match against Francisco Cerundolo in the last 16, less than 48 hours after he survived another marathon match against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
The outgoing World No. 1 soldiered on in the wake of a persistent knee injury during the match against the Argentinian. He recovered from two sets to one down and even clawed his way into the match while trailing by a break in the fourth set to prevail 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The match lasted four hours and 40 minutes, and combined with the time spent beating Musetti, it equaled a staggering nine hours of court time to win two rounds.
Djokovic confirmed that he would pull out in the event if he didn't recover from the injury or if the tests showed extensive damage to the knee. On Tuesday, he abandoned his practice and underwent an MRI scan that revealed he suffered from a torn meniscus.
After consulting with his doctors and coaching team, he informed the tournament he was pulling out. His ex-coach, Becker, who guided him to win six titles between 2014 and 2016, was left "speechless" by the news while speaking on Eurosport, where he is working as an analyst.
"This is bad news for all Djokovic fans, and I'm one of them. You could almost guess it after the match against Cerundolo, which he played with a limp. The painkillers made the fifth set easier, but he had already warned that evening what the next morning would be like. He already had knee problems at the last few tournaments but never spoke about them."
The German former World No. 1 asserted that Djokovic might need surgery given the seriousness of the injury. There are also concerns that he's unlikely to play at Wimbledon, which begins in under a month.
"That's obviously very bitter for him. I wish him a speedy recovery so that he is fit again for the grass-court season. It's a serious injury and it won't go away tomorrow. That leaves me a bit speechless. You need your knees on grass, you really do slip all the time. A torn medial meniscus is a serious injury and the question naturally arises as to whether surgery is necessary."
0 Comments