FILE – Serbia’s Novak Djokovic receives medical help for his proper knee throughout his fourth spherical match of the French Open tennis match in opposition to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo on the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Picture/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
PARIS — Novak Djokovic mentioned the surgical procedure on his proper knee “went properly” after he was injured through the French Open and added Thursday that he hopes to return to competitors “as quickly as attainable.”
Djokovic had an operation in Paris on Wednesday, two days after he harm the knee early within the second set of a five-set victory in opposition to Francisco Cerundolo within the fourth spherical. The 37-year-old from Serbia withdrew from the clay-court Grand Slam match — the place he was the defending champion — on Tuesday, so he was unable to play within the quarterfinals.
“Previously day, I needed to make some robust choices after sustaining a meniscus tear throughout my final match. I’m nonetheless processing all of it however I’m joyful to replace you that the surgical procedure went properly. I’m so appreciative of the staff of medical doctors who’ve been by my aspect,” Djokovic wrote on social media on Thursday, when he posted a photograph displaying him with crutches and the Eiffel Tower within the distance.
READ: Djokovic ‘actually unhappy’ as he withdraws from French Open
“I’m going to do my greatest to be wholesome and match to return to the court docket as quickly as attainable,” he wrote. “My love for this sport is powerful and the will to compete on the highest degree is what retains me going.”
He additionally thanked his followers for his or her “overwhelming help.”
It’s unclear precisely how lengthy his restoration will take and when he’ll have the ability to play subsequent.
Wimbledon, the place he has received seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles, begins on July 1. The tennis occasions for the Paris Olympics begin on July 27 at Roland Garros, the location of the French Open.
READ: Djokovic withdrawal shakes up French Open as Swiatek roars into semis
Djokovic was presupposed to face No. 7 seed Casper Ruud, the runner-up every of the previous two years in Paris, within the quarterfinals on Wednesday. As an alternative, Ruud bought a walkover into the semifinals, the place he’ll face No. 4 Alexander Zverev on Friday. The opposite males’s semifinal will likely be No. 2 Jannik Sinner in opposition to No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.
With Djokovic, the proprietor of three French Open titles, gone from the bracket, and Rafael Nadal — proprietor of a file 14 — eradicated within the first spherical, somebody will likely be holding the French Open males’s trophy for the primary time on Sunday.
And on Monday, when the brand new ATP rankings are launched, Djokovic will slide down from the highest spot and get replaced by Sinner, who turns into the primary Italian man to get to No. 1.
