Novak Djokovic withdrew from the 2024 Roland Garros prior to his quarter-final match against Casper Ruud.
According to reports on Tuesday, the Serbian canceled his scheduled practice for the day before his quarter-final match against Ruud. He underwent an MRI scan and additional tests on his knee that appeared to limit his movement in his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo.
The World No. 1 played in back-to-back five-setters to reach a record 59th Grand Slam quarterfinal and was growing agitated by the tournament officials over the state of the court on Monday, which he blamed for worsening his injury.
Djokovic clarified in his post-match press conference after beating the 23rd-seeded Argentinian from two sets to one down that he had been carrying a knee injury for weeks, even before the commencement of the French Open.
But he insisted that the injury became increasingly painful in the match against Cerundolo, where he slipped more times than he imagined. The top seed did not guarantee to play in the match on Wednesday as he was awaiting test results, which probably showed that he won't be able to continue in the tournament, as he withdrew from it.
Even prior to undergoing the test, the 37-year-old admitted that he would pull out if the scans showed significant damage to his knee during his post-match press conference with Serbian journalists.
"There is a risk of my withdrawing before the match, depending on the results (of the MRI). Let’s see how much damage there is to the knee. It’s not in my hands anymore, I will pray."
"Yes, I will do some things to help speed up the recovery, but with the knee – being one of the most important joints for the movement – there is only so much one can do… You can’t ‘avoid’ the knee. I’ve had muscle tears in Australia – stomach, thigh – you can tape it, do this and that, but the knee, it’s a whole different approach and method of recovery."
As a result of his withdrawal, Djokovic also surrendered his Roland Garros crown, as he won't be able to defend the title, and also the World No. 1 ranking, which will go to Jannik Sinner.
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