REPORT: Novak Djokovic to undergo knee surgery, likely to miss Wimbledon

Multiple outlets are reporting that Novak Djokovic will undergo knee surgery to repair the torn medial meniscus that forced him to withdraw from Roland Garros.

According to French newspaper *L’Équipe*, the 24-time Grand Slam champion made the decision in the wake of his announcement that he would miss his scheduled quarterfinal against No. 7 seed Casper Ruud, and is likely to miss Wimbledon as well.

Djokovic discussed dealing with knee pain in the lead-up to Roland Garros, but apparently aggravated the injury during his fourth-round match against No. 23 seed Francisco Cerundolo, though he ultimately won in five sets.

“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,” Djokovic wrote on social media following his withdrawal on Tuesday. “I wish the best of luck to the players competing this week and sincerely thank the incredible fans for all of the love and continued support.”

The prescribed three-six week recovery time for a surgery of this magnitude makes it possible for Djokovic, who will lose his No. 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner on Monday, to return in time for the Summer Olympic Games, which will also be held in Paris.

Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times, finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at last year’s final, but is yet to win an Olympic gold medal, winning a bronze in his debut back in 2008. He has lost two other Bronze Medal matches to Juan Martin Del Potro and Pablo Carreño Busta in 2012 and 2021, respectively.