PARIS: Novak Djokovic’s disappointing season continued on Tuesday when the defending French Open champion was forced to pull out of the Grand Slam before his quarter-final due to a knee issue.
The injury, sustained in his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo, ended the Serb’s quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam trophy and will result in him losing the world number one ranking to Jannik Sinner later this month.
“Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan), Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland Garros tournament,” organizers said.
Last year’s runner-up and seventh seed Ruud will now advance to the semifinals, where he could face fourth seed Alexander Zverev or 11th seed Alex de Minaur.
Monday’s marathon match was the second straight clash in which Djokovic was taken to five sets after his epic against Lorenzo Musetti and he has spent over nine hours on court in the last two rounds at the year’s second major.
The Serb said he had been carrying an injury for a couple of weeks and that the problem had flared up when he slipped during his match against Cerundolo.
The injury could also cast doubts over his fitness for next month’s Wimbledon.
It has been a season to forget for Djokovic after his bid for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title was ended by eventual champion Sinner in the semifinals, before he lost to lucky loser Luca Nardi early at Indian Wells.
Having been stunned by Ruud in the Monte Carlo semifinals, Djokovic was thrashed 6-2 6-3 by Alejandro Tabilo in the third round in Rome last month, two days after being hit on the head by a fan’s water bottle while signing autographs.
Djokovic is still without a trophy this season after one of the most dominant seasons of his career in 2023 during which he claimed three of the four Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic pulls out of French Open with knee injury
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Djokovic pulls out of French Open with knee injury
- The injury ended the Serb’s quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam trophy and will result in him losing the world number one ranking to Jannik Sinner later this month
- Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from the Roland Garros tournament due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee
Alcaraz swats aside Walton as career Grand Slam bid begins in Melbourne
- The 22-year-old Spaniard can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his latest bid for a career Grand Slam by dismantling unseeded Australian Adam Walton 6-3 7-6(2) 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday, as the world number one showcased the power and precision befitting a player chasing history.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once, gave a packed Rod Laver Arena an exhibition in shot-making that had fans either glued to their seats or rising in ovation.
“I’m really happy to step on to the court for the first time this season. I think it couldn’t be better than here at Rod Laver Arena. It was a good match, I felt great,” Alcaraz said.
“Adam (showed) a great level in the match so I had to stay there. Overall, I’m happy with the level I played at today.
“It was difficult to find good spots (against him) ... he was always in a good position, long rallies and solid from the baseline. His flat ball was sometimes really difficult for me.
“It was a really solid match and when he was able to step in on the court and play aggressive, he did, and that made it really difficult in the match.”
A ferocious forehand helped Alcaraz to grab the first break for a 5-3 lead and the six-times Grand Slam champion closed out the opening set on his retooled serve, which now bears more than a passing resemblance to the delivery of Novak Djokovic.
That technical tweak followed Alcaraz’s abrupt split last month with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, whose steadying influence was missing when the Spaniard was dragged into a second-set tiebreak after a spell of loose, crowd-pleasing tennis.
A ruthless Alcaraz came out all guns blazing to double his advantage in the clash and then rode the momentum to ease through the third set, booking a second-round meeting with Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
