Kritika Gaur Novak Djokovic’s unfortunate knee injury forces him to withdraw from the French Open 2024. Discover how Jannik Sinner rises to become the new World No.1 in men’s tennis.
A knee issue has forced Novak Djokovic out of the French Open 2024 before he faced Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals. Djokovic had to give up his number one ranking in the ATP rankings after he withdrew from Roland Garros, and Jannik Sinner assumed the position of the new world number one immediately.
Torn Medial Meniscus
Djokovic hurt himself during his fourth-round triumph over Francisco Cerundolo, but an MRI the next day revealed the full degree of the injury. His right knee has a damaged medial meniscus.
“Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan performed today), Novak Djokovic… has been forced to withdraw from the Roland Garros tournament,” organisers said in a statement.
“….I don’t know if I’ll be able to play”
On Wednesday, Djokovic was supposed to play Casper Ruud, the runner-up the last two times at the French Open. Ruud, though, advances automatically to the semifinals, where he will take on the victor of Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev.
Ruud has emerged as the competition’s favourite after Djokovic was eliminated. Having experienced the grandeur of Roland Garros twice, as well as having a direct pass to the semifinals, will give him more confidence for the major stage.
The 24-time grand slam champion, however, was unimpressed with the “slippery” Philippe Chatrier court following the victory in the fourth round and attributed his injury to it in the second set.
“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or after tomorrow if I’ll be able to step out on the court and play. You know, I hope so. Let’s see what happens,” Djokovic said after the match.
Sinner was able to regain the top rank
He added that he had to take anti-inflammatory medications to get through the match, in which he defeated Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, and 6-3. Despite this, he shown remarkable fortitude.
To stay at the top of the ATP rankings in the middle of a season in which he is only 18-6 and has never advanced to the final of a tournament, much less won one, he needed to return to the Paris title match.
Sinner was able to regain the top rank in the world faster than anticipated, though, because to his injuries. Sinner was already aware that making it to the Roland Garros final would guarantee him the top rating in the ATP. But he reached the milestone while facing Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinal, which he won handily 6-2, 6-4, 7-6.
This season, the 22-year-old tennis star has been on fire. In addition to winning the Australian Open, he had two spectacular victories at the Rotterdam and Miami Opens, which helped him secure his first grand slam title.
