Although he did not provide a timeline for his return, Novak Djokovic acknowledged on Thursday that he had undergone surgery on his ailing right knee during the French Open and that it “went well.”
A scan of the 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic’s right knee revealed a damaged medial meniscus, forcing him to quit before his quarterfinal match against Casper Ruud at Roland Garros.
“I have a strong love for this sport,” said Novak Djokovic.
He wrote on social media, “After sustaining a meniscus tear during my last match, I had to make some tough decisions in the past day.”
“While I’m still getting over everything, I’m glad to let you know that the surgery went well.
I am incredibly grateful for my medical team’s assistance as well as the resounding love I have gotten from my fans.
The 37-year-old stated that he will “do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible” but he did not address whether he would be able to compete in the July 1st Wimbledon tournament.
“What keeps me going is my strong love for this sport and my desire to compete at the highest level,” he continued.
After defeating Francisco Cerundolo in five sets, Djokovic withdrew from the French Open, citing the “slippery” Roland Garros courts as the source of the issue.
After scoring his record 370th Grand Slam victory, Djokovic stated, “I have had, I would say, slight discomfort, I would call it that, in my right knee for the last couple of weeks, but I haven’t had an injury that would be concerning me at all.”
“Up until today, there were no problems while I was using it in a few tournaments.”
OLYMPICS ARE PRIORITY
After an exhausting four hours and twenty-nine minutes against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, which ended at 03:07 on Sunday morning, the latest finish in the history of the French Open, Djokovic prevailed in Cerundolo, his second five-setter in as many days.
After receiving a walkover and losing to Djokovic in the previous year’s final, Ruud will now face Alexander Zverev on Friday in the semi-finals.
Due to Novak Djokovic’s forced withdrawal from the competition due to an injury, Jannik Sinner will become the first Italian to hold the top spot in the sport the following week.
It will be the first time since 2004 when Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer are not competing in the men’s final in Paris.
Djokovic has stated for a long time that he will put his Wimbledon chances on hold in order to focus on the Olympic Games this summer in his quest for an elusive singles gold.
In April, Djokovic stated, “The Olympics are very important, the Olympics have always been a priority for me,” prior to the Monte Carlo clay swing.
“It all comes down to developing my clay court game. I want to play my best tennis in Paris, therefore I want to be at my best there. Anything more would be a bonus, so let’s wait and see.
If he withdraws from Wimbledon, it might be the first Grand Slam main draw since the 1999 US Open without Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer.
This year, after losing in the opening round of Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal said he doubted he would play on grass since it would be difficult to return to clay for the Olympics.