DOUBLE BLOW FOR INJURED DJOKOVIC

Meniscus tear forces Serb to end Roland Garros title defence, lose world No. ranking

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Novak Djokovic pulled out of the French Open ahead of his quarter-final against Casper Ruud due to a knee injury suffered in the previous round, tournament organisers announced on June 4.

"Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan performed today), Novak Djokovic... has been forced to withdraw from the Roland Garros tournament," organisers said in a statement.

World No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was due to play Ruud on June 5 for a place in the last four. Djokovic defeated Ruud in the 2023 Roland Garros final.

As a result, Ruud will go on to face either fourth seed Alexander Zverev or 11th seed Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals on June 7.

"I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros," Djokovic wrote on social media. "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."