Djoko pulls from Paris as knee injury takes a toll

Injured defending champion Novak Djokovic withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday to hand Jannik Sinner the world No. 1 ranking.

The Serb re-aggravated a right-knee problem in a hard-fought Monday fourth-round win at Roland Garros over Francisco Cerundolo, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion hinting that he might not be able to front up for his Wednesday quarter-final.

The pullout nightmare became reality less than 24 hours later as Sinner was defeating Grigor Dimitrov in their quarter-final:

During the match, Djokovic complained to no avail to officials that the clay surface on the Chatrier court needed further grooming, blaming a lack of clay for causing him to fall on his knee early in the second set.  

“Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan performed today) Novak Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament,” a one-line statement from organiser said.

Djokovic now has only a few weeks to be fit for the July 1 start at Wimbledon.

He has so far failed to win a title all season, a rare lapse in his career.

“What can I say, it’s every player’s dream to become No. 1,” Sinner said after his three-set quarter-final victory.

“But seeing Novak injured is disappointing, I wish him a speedy recovery.”