PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic pulled out of the the French Open with an injured knee on Tuesday, an abrupt end to his title defense and to his current stay at No. 1 in the rankings.
“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from #rolandgarros,” Djokovic posted 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 after careful consideration and consultation.”
With Djokovic, the owner of three French Open titles, gone from the bracket, and Rafael Nadal — owner of a record 14 — eliminated in the first round, someone will be holding the French Open men’s trophy for the first time on Sunday.
The group of remaining contenders includes No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner, a 22-year-old Italian who defeated No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday to get to the semifinals and now is assured of replacing Djokovic atop the ATP rankings next week.
Sinner won the Australian Open in January and becomes the first man from his country to reach No. 1.
His match against Dimitrov was in progress when news of Djokovic’s withdrawal spread. So Sinner had no idea until he was asked about it during an on-court interview after his win.
“Seeing Novak (injured) is, for everyone, disappointing,” Sinner said, “so I wish him a speedy recovery.”
And as for his newfound status?
Alcaraz reached the final four in Paris for the second year in a row — he cramped up and lost to Djokovic in 2023 — by defeating No. 9 Stefanos Tsistinas 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Sinner and Alcaraz have played eight times, splitting them 4-4. They have played twice at majors, splitting those 1-1.
“Well, it’s a really difficult challenge. I’m not going to lie. Right now, he’s the best player in the world — or the player who is playing the best tennis right now,” Alcaraz said. “It is the match that everybody wants to watch.”
Amid a season in which Djokovic is only 18-6 and has not reached a final at any tournament, let alone won one, he needed to get back to the title match at the French Open to continue to add to his record for most weeks at No. 1.
For years and years, Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer ruled men’s tennis as the so-called Big Three, accumulating a total of 66 major championships among them. But Federer, now 42, is retired, and Nadal, who turned 38 on Monday, is trying to figure out how much longer he can compete after missing most of the past 1 1/2 seasons with injuries.
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