Novak Djokovic’s June went from bad to worse. The current world number 1 withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday due to a knee injury, but it appears he could miss more time.
According to ESPN, an MRI showed that Djokovic tore the meniscus in his right knee during his match against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday. He will reportedly need surgery to repair the tear, and the recovery time means he may not be ready for Wimbledon in early July.
The 37-year-old Djokovic played the full five sets against Cerundolo in round 4 on Monday and hurt his knee at some point during the match. He received on-court treatment but struggled and looked boiled after a 2-1 defeat. But Djokovic dug himself out of that hole, scraping out the last two sets and winning them both to advance to the quarterfinals. The next morning he withdrew.
Djokovic has been remarkably healthy throughout his career. He has battled wrist and back injuries in the past, but hasn’t missed significant time with an injury in years. Combined with his late start as a professional (at least compared to teenage phenoms Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer), these factors are why he is still the best in the world at age 37, while Nadal is heading towards retirement and Federer is already has not been on the ATP tour for a while. more than a year.
Wimbledon, which Djokovic has won seven times, starts on July 1. It’s entirely possible he won’t be healthy enough to play. But even if it is, he may decide not to. Djokovic has 24 career Grand Slam titles but zero Olympic medals. So he could choose to save his return for the Summer Games – the men’s singles starts on July 27 in Paris – instead of switching to grass for a few weeks before jumping back onto clay for the Olympic Games at Roland Garros.
