Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the Roland Games of the French Open due to a “medial meniscus tear” in his knee. The 37-year-old tennis player penned a public statement via his Instagram on Tuesday, June 4.
“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros,” Novak wrote. “I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday’s match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.”
Novak added that he wishes “the best of luck to the players competing this week and sincerely thank the incredible fans for all of the love and continued support.”
“See you soon. With love and gratitude, Nole,” the athlete concluded at the end of his caption.
Novak’s announcement came just one day after his victory against Francisco Cerúndolo. Although he seemed prepared to take on Francisco again in the future, Novak admitted to a group of reporters that his knee was in pain. According to CNN, Novak admitted the pain only subsided toward the end of the match after taking medication.
“At one point, I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue or not with what’s happening,” Novak told reporters, according to the outlet. He also pointed out that he started feeling “slight discomfort” in his knee before the tournament. However, the tennis pro added that it wasn’t “an injury that would be concerning me at all.”
To make matters worse, Novak revealed that the significant amount of rain in Paris caused him to slip “way too many times,” likely aggravating the injury.
“I’ve slipped and fallen on the clay many times in my life, and on grass as well, but this was just too many times today,” Novak explained to the press. “Could this injury have been prevented? Possibly, if there was just a little bit more frequent care of the court during the set. That’s basically all I asked for.”
