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The news that Novak Djokovic had withdrawn from the French Open with a torn meniscus was one of those gasp-inducing moments at Roland Garros.
It wasn’t a huge shock, considering Djokovic said he wasn’t sure if he would advance to the quarterfinals after suffering an injury in his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo. Still, losing the world number one and defending champion in this way is devastating.
But what effect will Djokovic’s withdrawal have on him, the tournament and sport in general?
What it means for Novak Djokovic
What about Djokovic’s injury?
Djokovic withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The meniscus is a semicircular cartilage located on the inner half of the knee joint. This is a very common injury in active adults, especially middle-aged men, and can cause varying degrees of pain.
In tennis players, especially those with a long playing career, it is more likely to be a slow degeneration that gets worse rather than a sudden, acute rupture. Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are among the players in the past few years who have had surgery for torn menisci in their mid-30s. Even though the former suffered a strange injury while bathing for the children.
Recovery does not always require surgery. Some people choose to avoid surgery, which can lead to long-term complications such as scarring or arthritis, and instead recover through physical therapy to build the muscles around the knee. Whether this is an option may depend on the severity of the tear, and even if not, the type of surgery will depend on the severity of the damage (whether it is acute or built up over time).
Djokovic overcame injury to play against Francisco Cerundolo (Bertrand Guay / AFP via Getty Images).
American No. 1 Taylor Fritz competed at Wimbledon 23 days after undergoing surgery for a meniscus injury, but underwent debridement to trim the damaged portion of the meniscus. If Djokovic’s injury is too severe, complete repairs such as stitches will be required, prolonging the recovery period to several months.
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What do Djokovic and his team say about his injury?
not really. The team was still coming to terms with the diagnosis and the reality that Djokovic would not be able to continue his title defense on Tuesday evening, and there was no immediate decision on whether to undergo surgery.
Tournament organizers’ decision not to heed Djokovic’s warnings that rain throughout the past week had made the courts dangerously slippery, and that conditions had suddenly changed to dry conditions on Saturday night and Monday afternoon, when Djokovic played. The anger remains.
About an hour after announcing the cancellation of the tournament, Djokovic confirmed the injury on Instagram, adding, “After careful consideration and consultation, I and the team had to make a difficult decision.”
When will Djokovic return to tennis?
It’s too early to tell. Meniscal tears vary in severity. Needless to say, if Djokovic does play at Wimbledon on July 1, he will not be as much of a force as he has been over the past decade, solidifying his position as the world’s best grass-court player.
After Wimbledon, the tennis world’s attention is focused on the Olympics in late July, and Djokovic is desperate to win his first-ever gold medal at the Olympics.
Meaning of the French Open
What does this mean for the French Open draw?
Djokovic’s withdrawal resulted in a largely drawn first half. Casper Ruud, who was runner-up the past two years, failed to advance to the semifinals and will face the winner of the quarterfinals between Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur. Zverev is seeking a fourth consecutive Roland Garros semi-final, while De Minaur has never progressed beyond the second round here until this year.
What does this mean for tennis more broadly?
Whatever happens, the tournament will have a new winner for the first time since 2016, when Djokovic won his first title. Djokovic’s withdrawal extended his difficult start to the year, meaning he has yet to advance to the final. It is the first time since 2018 that he has entered both of his first two Grand Slams of the year and failed to win them both.
It also means a new ATP Tour world number one, with Jannik Sinner guaranteed to take that spot on Monday 10 June, achieving the milestone for the first time in his career.
Djokovic’s ranking may fall further. He has a total of 4,200 points, including 1,200 points from Wimbledon, 1,000 points from Cincinnati and 2,000 points from the US Open. If he can’t make it to that event, he’ll lose all his points (plus the 1,600 he’ll earn on Monday after exiting relatively early here) and his ranking will drop to around 8th. world.
He then went on to reach November’s ATP Finals for the top eight players of the year and his worst year-end ranking since finishing just outside the top 10 in 2017 after an injury-ravaged season.
Two-time losing finalist Casper Ruud advanced straight to the semifinals (Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images)
What does this mean for French Open organizers?
Djokovic’s elimination is a nightmare for the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
He blamed the tournament and the “very slippery” courts for his injury on Monday and said his team would speak to relevant event staff. The intense feeling in Djokovic’s camp remained the same on Tuesday.
Djokovic’s exit dramatically increases Zverev’s chances of being crowned champion on Sunday. Zverev, the fourth seed, is defending himself at a Berlin court hearing accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend during a 2020 altercation.
Last October, a Berlin criminal court fined him 450,000 euros ($489,000, 384,000 pounds) in connection with the allegations against his daughter’s mother, model and social media personality Brenda Patea. An order was issued to impose a fine. Zverev denied the charges. In Germany, prosecutors can seek penalty orders in cases they consider simple because there is compelling evidence that a trial is not necessary.
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The defendant has the right to challenge the order made by Zverev. A court hearing began in Berlin on Friday, but Zverev was not required to attend. It continued on Monday, with Patea’s testimony taking place behind closed doors and will continue on non-consecutive occasions this month and next.
Unlike other league sports, the ATP Tour and tennis in general do not have an official policy against domestic violence. Zverev winning one of the biggest prizes in sports would be a very uncomfortable situation for the tournament and the sport as a whole.
What do the players think?
Cutting the quarterfinals from the schedule isn’t really good for anyone. For Ruud himself, that means three days off, potentially breaking his rhythm, while for spectators with day tickets on Wednesday, it means a lack of singles matches. In the case of Zverev and De Minaur, anyone approaching Ruud may feel they are at a disadvantage. Withdrawing at this stage of the tournament, similar to Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the semifinals at Wimbledon 2022, immediately raises questions about sporting integrity.
One solution is: Cerundolo, who defeated Djokovic, returns. “Lucky losers” already exist in tennis. Players who lose in the preliminary round before the main draw begins may remain in the tournament venue and enter the event even if a player in the first round withdraws.
This concept has not been applied to actual tournaments. When asked about the possibility, semifinalist Sinner most often argued against it. “He already lost, right?”
It’s hard to argue that reinstating the 23rd seed would bring the game back to the crowds and make Cerundolo a worthy winner once he gets past three elite players, but that’s an imperfect solution. Despite his injury, Djokovic beat him fair and square and won ranking points and prize money. In tennis, this is rest.
(Top photo: Ibrahim Ezzat / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
