Novak Djokovic withdraws from French Open after MRI reveals torn meniscus

June 4 (UPI) -- Top-ranked Novak Djokovic tore the medial meniscus in his right knee and withdrew from the 2024 French Open, tournament organizers announced Tuesday.

The Serbian beat No. 27 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in his fourth-round match Monday at Roland Garros. He was scheduled to face No. 7 Casper Ruud of Norway in the quarterfinals Wednesday in Paris.

"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 quarterfinals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament," the French Open said.

Djokovic cited a previous knee issue after his 4-hour, 39-minute fourth-round match against Cerundolo. He said he experienced discomfort in the area for weeks and a slip during his latest victory aggravated the issue.

"For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort, I would call it, in the right knee, but I haven't had an injury that would be concerning me at all," Djokovic told reporters. "I was playing a few tournaments with it, and had no issues until [Monday]."

Ruud will now face No. 4 Alexander Zverev or No. 11 Alex de Minaur of Australia in the semifinals.

With Djokovic's early exit, No. 2 Jannik Sinner of Italy also is assured of replacing the Seriban as the top player in the ATP Tour singles rankings. He will be the first Italian man in history to top the rankings.

Sinner will face No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain or No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the semifinals. Alcaraz and Tsitsipas are set to meet at no earlier than 2:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Paris. That quarterfinal match will air on Tennis Channel.