(Paris) Novak Djokovic said surgery on his right knee “was a success” after he was injured at the French Open, and he added Thursday that he hopes to be back competing ” as quickly as possible “.
Djokovic went under the knife in Paris on Wednesday, two days after suffering an injury early in the second set of a match he won in five sets against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round. The 37-year-old veteran withdrew from the Grand Slam tournament — where he was the defending champion — on Tuesday, and was therefore unable to play his quarterfinal match.
“Yesterday I had to make some very difficult decisions after suffering a torn meniscus in the last match. I am still trying to understand what happened, but I am happy to announce that the operation was a great success. I thank the doctors who accompanied me in the process,” the Serbian wrote on his social networks on Thursday, alongside a photo showing him standing on crutches with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
“I will do everything in my power to get healthy and return to play as quickly as possible,” he wrote. “My love for the sport is undeniable and my desire to perform at the highest level is what motivates me the most.”
He also wanted to thank tennis fans “for their extraordinary support”.
It is currently unknown how long the rehabilitation process awaits him, and when he will be able to return to the tennis courts.
Wimbledon, where Djokovic has won seven career titles, begins July 1. The Paris Olympics tennis tournament will then get underway on July 27 at Roland-Garros.
Djokovic was due to face Norwegian Casper Ruud, the finalist in the last two editions of the French Open, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Ruud, the seventh seed, instead obtained his pass to the final four, where he will cross swords with the German Alexander Zverev on Friday. The other semi-final will pit Italian Jannik Sinner, who will become world No. 1 on Monday, against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
With Djokovic, who has won three career titles at Roland Garros, sidelined, and Rafael Nadal — the holder of 14 titles on Parisian clay — eliminated in the first round, one tennis player will lift the prestigious champion trophy at Roland-Garros for the first time in his career, Sunday.