Tom Hamilton, Writer SeniorJun 5, 2024, 05:56 AM ET
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• Joined ESPN in 2011
• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
• Formerly rugby editor, and became writer senior in 2018
Novak Djokovic will have surgery on his meniscus torn in Paris on Wednesday, source he told ESPN, confirming several reports, which will put his status for Wimbledon in doubt.
Djokovic tore the meniscus in his right knee during his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo. He played despite the pain and won in five sets but was uncertain about the damage to his knee.
He had an MRI in Paris on Tuesday that confirmed the meniscus tear, causing the winner of 24 Grand Slams to retire from the tournament.
The injury requires surgery, and the recovery time means Djokovic is in a race against the clock to be fit for Wimbledon, which starts on July 1. The most likely thing is that Djokovic will skip the grass-court tour to focus on playing at the Paris Olympics; the Olympic tennis tournament is scheduled to begin on July 27.
The knee surgery that caused Novak Djokovic to withdraw from the French Open on Tuesday. Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times and reached last year’s final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. But the Olympic gold still escapes him. His best result was a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008, and he said earlier this year that Paris 2024 was the “priority” for him.
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“It’s all about improving my game on clay courts,” Djokovic said in April. “I want to peak for Paris. That’s where I want to show my best tennis. Anything else is a bonus, so let’s see what happens.”
This is also the case for Rafael Nadal, who lost in the first round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev. Nadal said after that defeat that he is likely to stay on clay until Paris, rather than switch to grass, leaving the possibility that neither Djokovic nor Nadal will be at Wimbledon this year.
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