After hurting his right knee, defending champion Novak Djokovic is unsure if he will be able to continue at the French Open.
Due to a knee issue, Novak Djokovic is doubtful he will be able to play Casper Ruud in the French Open quarterfinals on Wednesday. From June 10–16, Sky Sports Tennis will be the only place to see Andy Murray compete in the Stuttgart Open.
Following an incredible fourth-round victory against Francisco Cerundolo, Novak Djokovic injured his right knee and needed anti-inflammatory medication. As a result, he is unsure if he will be able to play in the French Open quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The world No. 1 battled through the longest Roland Garros match of his career despite a knee injury, limping into the quarterfinals.
In four hours and forty-nine minutes, he beat Cerundolo in another five-setter, 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
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In a great Roland Garros match, Djokovic overcomes Cerundolo at the last moment.
In order to maintain his aspirations of keeping the World No. 1 ranking, Novak Djokovic worked more magic at Roland Garros on Monday. When trailing two sets to one and a break against Francisco Cerundolo, the Serbian appeared to be out of it, but he rallied to win a thrilling 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, and 6-3 match.
In the third round, the 37-year-old fought his way past Lorenzo Musetti in five sets, concluding at 3:07 a.m. on Sunday. The Serbian achieved back-to-back five-set victories for the first time since Roland Garros in 2012, when he advanced to the final, by matching that incredible triumph with another incredible performance against Cerundolo.
In his on-court interview, Djokovic addressed the audience, saying, “Again, a big, big, big thank you because once again, like the last match, the win is your win.”
In their first-ever Lexus ATP Head2Head match, Djokovic seemed youthful early on against Cerundolo, despite the late finish versus Musetti. The top seed, nevertheless, injured his knee early in the second set, which made it difficult for him to move during the second and third sets. The Serbian looked certain to shock everyone by retiring in the fourth set, behind 2-4.
“I started experiencing pain [during set two] and requested physical therapy and a medical timeout, trying to address the issue,” he stated. “It certainly stopped me from playing. I did not want to be in the rally for more than two, two and a half sets. I never felt confident enough to run with him when he would make abrupt drop shots or direction changes.
“To be honest, there was a moment when I wasn’t sure if I should keep going with what was going on.”
But Djokovic would not give up, leveling the score at 4–4, and then locking in to force a decider in front of an enthralled audience at the end of the set.
In total, Djokovic has made 18 trips to the quarterfinals in the French city, including 15 straight. The three-time winner of the clay-court major and seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion will face either Taylor Fritz or Caster Ruud next.
Djokovic needs to make it to the final to even stand a chance of finishing the event at number one in the PIF ATP Rankings. He is vying for a record-breaking 25th major championship. If Jannik Sinner, the second seed, makes it to the championship match, he will undoubtedly become the 29th player in history (since 1973) to climb to the top.
Djokovic lifted his arms in celebration after his most recent thrilling triumph and basked in the cheers of the spectators. The Serbian, whose greatest performance in 2024 was a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, is aiming for his first trophy of the season in the French capital.
Though there is still concern regarding his knee, the Serbian stated that he is recovering well from his consecutive marathon matches: “I don’t think the previous match hurt me so much that I can’t run or play at the level I played for more than four and a half hours,” he clarified. “It lasted longer than Musetti’s match. So I’m fine physically. Thank goodness, I recovered soon.”
Cerundolo wanted to make it to his first-ever major quarterfinal. The two-time tour-level champion from Argentina was unable to finish off Djokovic, misfiring from both wings in the closing moments of the match to suffer a heartbreaking loss in the French city.
