Watch the 2024 French Open live now
The news that Novak Djokovic had withdrawn from the French Open because of a torn meniscus was one of the more surprising moments at Roland Garros.
It's not a huge shock, as Djokovic said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play in the quarterfinals after suffering an injury in his fourth-round match against Francisco Cernudolo, but it's still a big blow to lose the world number one and defending champion in this way.
But what does Djokovic's withdrawal mean for himself, the tournament and the sport in general?
What it means for Novak Djokovic
What is Djokovic's injury?
Djokovic withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The meniscus is a semicircular piece of cartilage in the inside half of the knee joint. It is a very common injury in active adults, especially middle-aged men, and can cause varying degrees of pain.
Tennis players, especially over a long career, are more likely to suffer from degenerative tears that worsen over time than sudden, acute tears. Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are among the players who have had meniscus tears in their mid-30s in the past few years, although Federer's was a freak injury that occurred while he was heating a bath for his children.
Recovery doesn't always require surgery. Some people choose to avoid surgery, which can cause long-term complications like scarring and arthritis, and instead recover with physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the knee. Whether that's an option depends on the severity of the tear, and even if it isn't, the type of surgery will depend on the severity of the injury (whether it's acute or building up over time).
Djokovic played through an injury against Francisco Cernudolo (Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images)
American No. 1 Taylor Fritz played at Wimbledon 23 days after surgery for a torn meniscus that was treated with debridement, or removal of the damaged part of the meniscus. If Djokovic's injury is too severe for that, he would need a full repair with stitches and a recovery period of several months.
Going deeper
Novak Djokovic withdraws from French Open with knee injury
What are Djokovic and his team saying 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 defence on Tuesday night, and no decision was immediately made about whether he would undergo surgery.
Anger remains over tournament organizers' decision not to heed Djokovic's warnings that dry conditions on Saturday night and Monday afternoon after last week's rain had made the courts dangerously slippery.
About an hour after tournament officials announced he was withdrawing, Djokovic posted on Instagram acknowledging the nature of his injury, adding: “After careful consideration and consultation with my team and I, we have had to make the difficult decision.”
When will Djokovic return to tennis?
It's too early to tell — the extent of the meniscus injury varies — and it goes without saying that if Djokovic does play at Wimbledon on July 1, he won't be playing with the same dominant force he's shown for more than a decade that has cemented him as the best grass-court player in the world.
After Wimbledon, the tennis world's attention will turn to the Olympics at the end of July, where Djokovic will be trying to win his first ever Olympic gold medal.
What it means for the French Open
What does this mean for the French Open draw?
Djokovic's withdrawal leaves the top half of the standings very crowded. Kasper Ruud, runner-up the past two years, will reach the semifinals, where he will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur. Zverev is looking to reach his fourth consecutive Roland Garros semifinal, while de Minaur had never made it past the second round until this year.
What does this mean for the tennis world as a whole?
Either way, this will be the first time a new champion has been crowned at the tournament since Djokovic's first triumph in 2016. Djokovic's absence extends a tough start to the year for him, who has yet to reach a final, and it will be the first time since 2018 that he has played in both of the year's first two Grand Slam tournaments without winning either.
It also marks the creation of a new ATP World No. 1 ranking, which Jannik Sinner is set to take on Monday 10 June, when he will reach this milestone for the first time in his career.
Djokovic could fall further down the rankings. He has 1,200 points to defend from Wimbledon, 1,000 from Cincinnati and 2,000 from the U.S. Open, for a total of 4,200 points. If he misses those tournaments, he'll lose all the points he earned from those tournaments (on top of the 1,600 he lost on Monday for his relatively early exit here), and his ranking could drop to around No. 8 in the world.
That could put his chances of qualifying for the top eight ATP Finals in November in jeopardy and give him his worst end-of-year ranking since 2017, when he finished outside the top 10 after an injury-plagued season.
Kasper Ruud, who lost in the final twice, advanced to the semi-finals (Dimitar Dilkov/AFP via Getty Images)
What does this mean for French Open organisers?
Djokovic's withdrawal is a nightmare for the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
Djokovic blamed Monday's injury on the tournament and the “very slippery” court, and said his team would be speaking with tournament officials. The Djokovic camp's strong feelings remained strong on Tuesday.
Djokovic's defeat also significantly increased Zverev's chances of winning on Sunday. The fourth seed is defending himself at a court hearing in Berlin over allegations that he abused a former girlfriend during an argument in 2020.
In October, the Berlin Criminal Court ordered Zverev to pay a 450,000 euro ($489,000; £384,000) fine in connection with accusations from Brenda Patea, the model and social media personality who is the mother of Zverev's daughter. Zverev denies the charges. In Germany, prosecutors can seek a fine order if they consider it a simple case with enough compelling evidence that a trial is not necessary.
Going deeper
Alexander Zverev is French Open favourite as domestic violence hearing begins
Defendants have the right to challenge the order, and Zverev did so. A court hearing began in Berlin on Friday, but Zverev was not required to attend. The hearing continued on Monday, with Patea's testimony being held behind closed doors, and is scheduled to continue on non-consecutive dates this month and next month.
Unlike other league sports, the ATP Tour, or tennis as a whole, does not have a formal policy on domestic violence, so Zverev winning one of the biggest prizes in sport would be an extremely uncomfortable situation for the tournament and the sport as a whole.
What do the players think?
Taking the quarterfinals off the schedule isn't great for anyone. For Ruud himself, it means a three-day break that could throw him off his rhythm, and for Wednesday's ticket-holders, it means one less singles match. Zverev and de Minaur may feel at a disadvantage whoever advances to face Ruud. Withdrawals at this stage of the tournament immediately raise questions about the sport's fairness, similar to Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2022.
One solution is to Cerundolo, who was defeated by Djokovic, will return. There are already “lucky losers” in the tennis world. A player who loses in the qualifying round before the main draw begins can remain in the tournament venue and participate in the tournament even if a player in the first round withdraws.
The concept has not been applied to the actual tournament, and when asked about its potential, semi-finalist Sinner deployed the argument most often made by opponents: “He's already lost, hasn't he?”
Bringing back the No. 23 seed would bring back the action, and it's hard to argue that Cerundolo didn't deserve to win when he beat three top-tier players, but it's an imperfect solution. Djokovic beat Cerundolo fair and square, despite an injury, and earned the ranking points and prize money. In tennis, that's a blessing.
(Top photo: Ibrahim Ezzat / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
