Djokovic withdraws from the French Open!

With an injured right knee, Novak Djokovic will not be able to play in his quarter-final against Casper Ruud at Roland-Garros on Wednesday. The Serb had hinted at this on Monday after his Round of 16 victory over Francisco Cerundolo (6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3), but it's now official.

Additional medical examinations carried out on Tuesday by the world No.1 confirmed the injury. An MRI scan revealed damage to the medial meniscus of the right knee. The injury occurred at the start of the 2nd set against Cerundolo and was most likely aggravated by the Serb finishing the match. All that remains to be seen now is the exact severity of the injury and the resulting unavailability of the defending champion.

Damage to the meniscus is far from trivial, and Djokovic's participation in the forthcoming Wimbledon, where he is also the defending champion, is already in doubt. The consequences could even be more serious. As a reminder, it was a meniscus injury that forced Roger Federer to retire after failing to heal it completely. But it's all supposition at the moment.

In terms of definite consequences, Casper Ruud will be playing in his third consecutive French Open semi-final. He will face either Alexander Zverev or Alex De Minaur on Friday. Above all, the ATP rankings will have a new world number 1 on Monday June 10, as Jannik Sinner is now guaranteed to overtake Djokovic.