Tag: Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has confirmed he had had an operation on his right knee that he injured at the French Open and that it “went well”.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was forced to withdrew ahead of his Roland Garros quarter-final against Casper Ruud after a scan revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.

 “In the past day, I had to make some tough decisions after sustaining a meniscus tear during my last match,” he posted on social media. “I’m still processing it all but I am happy to update you that the surgery went well.

“I am so appreciative of the team of doctors who have been by my side as well as the overwhelming support I have received from my fans.”

The 37-year-old made no mention of whether he would be fit to take part at Wimbledon which begins on July 1 but added that he was going to “do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible”.

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Djokovic withdrew from the French Open after winning a five-set match against Francisco Cerundolo and went on to blame the “slippery” Roland Garros courts for aggravating the problem.

 “For the last couple weeks I have had, I would say, slight discomfort, I would call it that way, in the right knee, but I haven’t had an injury that would be concerning me at all,” Djokovic said after his record 370^th  win at a Grand Slam.

 “I was playing a few tournaments with it, and no issues until today.”

The Cerundolo victory was Djokovic’s second five-setter in quick succession having come through a gruelling four-hour, 29-minute slog against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round that concluded at 3:07 am Sunday morning, the latest finish in French Open history.

Ruud, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s final, received a walkover and will now play Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals today.

Djokovic’s injury-enforced exit from the tournament means that Jannik Sinner will become Italy’s first number one in the sport next week.

For the first time since 2004, the men’s final in Paris will not feature Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.

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  have announced.

 “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 number one and 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was due to play Ruud today for a place in the last four. Djokovic defeated Ruud in last year’s final at Roland Garros.

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

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The 37-year-old Djokovic had cast doubt over his fitness following Monday’s five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo, admitting he needed anti-inflammatory drugs to get through the match.

Djokovic blamed the “slippery” Philippe Chatrier court for the injury he sustained early in the second set of his 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Cerundolo.

“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or after tomorrow if I’ll be able to step out on the court and play. You know, I hope so. Let’s see what happens,” Djokovic said after the match.

“For the last couple weeks I have had, I would say, slight discomfort, I would call it that way, in the right knee, but I haven’t had an injury that would be concerning me at all.

 “I was playing a few tournaments with it, and no issues until today.”

Djokovic’s withdrawal from the French Open means that Jannik Sinner will become Italy’s first men’s world number one next week.

The Serbian star arrived at the tournament with his status at the top under threat from Sinner, who was guaranteed to supplant Djokovic if the latter failed to reach the final in Paris.

Djokovic has spent a record 428 weeks at the top of the rankings.

His injury extends his worst start to a season since 2018, when he didn’t win an event until claiming the Wimbledon title.

Adding to his problems, he was accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle in Rome last month before suffering stomach problems in Geneva.

Djokovic last pulled out of a Grand Slam during the 2019 US Open, when a shoulder problem forced him to quit against Stan Wawrinka in the last 16

Novak Djokovic said Rafael Nadal was his favourite to win the French Open, despite the record 14-time champion struggling for fitness in the twilight of his career.

World number one Djokovic is tuning up at the Geneva Open this week before the second Grand Slam of the year begins in Paris.

He said if Nadal was in the French Open draw, he could not be ruled out, despite his injury problems and growing competition from a younger generation.

“This year is more open,” French Open defending champion Djokovic told reporters at the Parc des Eaux-Vives grounds in Geneva. “Casper Ruud is surely one of the five players who are candidates to win. You have Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas – all the players who won a major tournament on this surface this year.

 “But when you talk about Roland-Garros and Nadal is there, he is always the biggest favourite for me.

 “After everything he has done on the courts at Roland-Garros, it’s normal, respectfully to put him as the biggest favourite.

 “Obviously it’s a little different with his level of play. But it’s Roland-Garros, and it’s Nadal.

 “After that, maybe me, if I feel good, if I play well. At Roland-Garros, and all the Grand Slams, I am a bit of a different player.”

Djokovic, who turns 37 on Wednesday, took a wild card to play in Geneva in a bid to rescue an alarming dip in form ahead of his French Open title defence next week.

The 28-man Swiss clay court tournament serves as a final warm-up.

The record 24-time Grand Slam champion will arrive in Paris without a title in the season for the first time since 2018, unless he wins Geneva.

While time has caught up with 37-year-old Nadal, Djokovic said he was hungry to keep playing at the top.

 “I’m searching for my highest possible level,” he said. “It’s not an obligation. It’s truly my desire, my feeling, my passion, my love for tennis. That’s the most important. I’m seeking to stay connected with that feeling.”

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Djokovic said he knew Geneva well as he has cousins in the Swiss city, though he has never played at the Geneva Tennis Club before.

“At this moment, there is no better practice for me than match play. So I feel like I need more matches,” he said.

“That’s the way for me to try to find the kind of form that I need for Roland-Garros.”

Djokovic was at the Stade de Geneve on Monday to witness Young Boys winning a 17^th  Swiss football championship with a 1-0 victory over hosts Servette – a team the Serb has a long-standing fondness for.

Djokovic said one of his cousins was set to marry a Servette player – French midfielder Timothe Cognat, according to Swiss media.

Djokovic’s best friend, and best man at his wedding, was defender Neven Markovic, who played for Servette from 2013 to 2015.

 “That’s why I’m supporting the club,” Djokovic said, jovially adding that Markovic could perhaps best be categorised as a “very physical player”.

 “I’m not a football expert – but he’s a crazy guy,” he said.

Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic are to go their separate ways, the tennis world number one announced ending a five-year association which yielded 12 Grand Slams.

Djokovic brought Croatia’s 2001 Wimbledon champion on board as a member of the coaching team ahead of the grass court Grand Slam in 2019 and although the Serbian admitted their “on-court chemistry had its ups and downs”, it also resulted in huge success.

However, Djokovic has had by his high standards a poor start to the year, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Australian Open semi-finals.

The 36-year-old Serbian then lost to Sinner’s unheralded compatriot Luca Nardi in the third round at Indian Wells, prompting him to withdraw from the Miami tournament for what he claimed were scheduling reasons.

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 “Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago,” Djokovic posted on Instagram. “Our on court chemistry had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid.

 “In fact, I am proud to say (not sure he is) that apart from winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in Parchisi going on… for many years,” he said, referring to the online game.

 “And -– that tournament never stops for us. Šefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you.”

Djokovic said the volatile and charismatic Ivanisevic had brought more than just his tennis acumen to the partnership, which was exactly what he and his then head coach Marian Vajda had been looking for.

 “I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team,” said Djokovic. “It was back in 2018, and Marian (Vajda) and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo.

 “In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year-end no1 rankings, record breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then.”

Novak Djokovic was unable to break his Indian Wells Masters hoodoo as the world number one suffered a surprise third-round exit at the hands of Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi.

The Serbian came into the 2024 tournament having not advanced beyond the fourth round since winning the 2016 edition, and his most recent appearance in 2019 also ended with a third-round exit.

Following three straight absences from Indian Wells, Djokovic made his California return with a three-set win over Aleksandar Vukic in round two but was subsequently defeated 4-6 6-3 3-6 by Nardi in two hours and 20 minutes.

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Sixteen years Djokovic’s junior and ranked 122 places below the world number one in the ATP Tour standings, Nardi made history as the lowest-ranked player to ever knock Djokovic out of Masters event.

Djokovic landed just 60% of his first serves and only managed half of Nardi’s winners – 17 compared to the Italian’s 34 – and his 20-year-old foe advanced despite committing seven double faults on the afternoon.

“I don’t know [how I held my nerve]. I think it is a miracle, because I am a 20-year-old guy, 100 in the world, and beating Novak. It’s crazy,” Nardi said on the court. “I think that before this night no one knew me. I hope that the crowd enjoyed the game. I’m super happy with this one.”

Nardi’s reward is a fourth-round tie with 17th seed Tommy Paul, while elsewhere on Monday, British duo Cameron Norrie and Emma Raducanu were also eliminated in the third round.

Novak Djokovic battled past Taylor Fritz into an 11th  Australian Open semi-final and a record-extending 48th  at Grand Slams, with Coco Gauff also forced to dig deep in searing heat.

The Serbian superstar came through a probing test on Rod Laver Arena against 12th seeded American 7-6 (7⁄3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to keep his bid for a 25th major crown on track.

Djokovic almost always gets the evening slot on centre court, but was bumped to the afternoon on a day where temperatures soared to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) and the world number one admitted it was hard going.

 “Physically and emotionally very draining,” he said after the three hour and 45 minute slog, adding that he “suffered a lot” in the first two sets. “He was serving well, staying close to the line and kind of suffocating me from the back of the court,” he said.

 “I think I upped my game probably midway through the third set all the way to the end.”

The 36-year-old will face either Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner or Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev next, with the omens not good for either man.

Djokovic has won all 10 previous semi-finals he has played at Melbourne Park, stretching back to his first title in 2008.

Error-strewn US Open champion Gauff was also put through her paces before outlasting unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk after more than three scrappy hours 7-6 (8⁄6), 6-7 (3⁄7), 6-2.

She will meet either power-packing defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or ninth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova for a place in the final.

But her performance will not strike fear into whoever she plays next, with the 19-year-old struggling on serve and wasting countless opportunities.

She admitted it was below-par, giving herself only a ‘C’ rating.

 “Hopefully got the bad match out of the way and I can play even better,” she said.

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The low standard was not confined to Gauff, with the pair making a staggering 107 unforced errors between them – there were 16 service breaks.

Kostyuk rued missing her chances, letting slip a 5-1 lead and squandering set points in the first set, but said she was proud of how she fought.

 “Very proud of myself. I won for myself today, and I think it’s the most important thing,” said the 21-year-old, who has been vocal at the tournament about keeping people’s focus on the conflict in her homeland.

Gauff also faltered at crunch moments, broken when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set before keeping her cool as Kostyuk became more agitated in the deciding set.

It extended her winning streak this year to 10 matches after she won at Auckland in the lead up, and her unbeaten run at Grand Slams to 12 after her title-winning exploits at Flushing Meadow.

 “Really proud of the fight I showed today,” said the American, who had never progressed beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park in four previous attempts.

“I really fought and left it all on the court.”

She will need to step up a level should she face Sabalenka, who has been ruthless so far in Melbourne, conceding just 11 games in her march towards another title.

But the Belarusian world number two is expecting a thorough examination from Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion, who is yet to go beyond the last eight at Melbourne Park.

 “Barbora, we played a lot of matches. She plays really well. I think she’s coming back after injuries, so also super-motivated. Always a tough battle,” she said.

Novak Djokovic was forced to dig deep as he battled past Alexei Popyrin 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to reach the third round of the Australian Open in which he challenged a heckler to “come down and tell it to my face!”.

Djokovic appeared to have a problem with his wrist, an issue he came into the tournament with, and has also been ill but he kept his winning streak at the Australian Open alive, having not lost in Melbourne since 2018.

At one point during the fourth set of a testy win the world No 1 challenged a heckler to “say that to my face”.

Speaking about the confrontation, the 36-year-old said: “There was a lot of things that were being told to me on the court, particularly from that corner, and the same side the other corner. I was tolerating it for most of the match. At one point I had enough, and I asked him whether he wants to come down and tell it to my face.

“When you confront somebody, unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the courage to come down. That’s what I was asking him. If you have courage, if you’re such a tough man, tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it.”

The opening seven games went to serve with Djokovic 4-3 up but the world No 1 made a breakthrough when he broke Popyrin as the Australian made unforced errors at the wrong moment.

Djokovic went on to take the set but Popyrin raised his game in response and broke his opponent to go 3-1 up in the second set.

However, Djokovic broke back when Popyrin was serving for the set, only for the Australian to win the set on the Djokovic serve and level things up to the delight of the crowd on the Rod Laver Arena.

Popyrin required a medical time-out at 3-2 up on his left calf but it didn’t seem to affect him. The home player found himself with three set points on Djokovic’s serve at 5-4 but failed to take them, then missed a fourth opportunity in the same game as the Serb just held on to make it 5-5.

A third-set tie-break was needed and from nowhere Djokovic delivered his best tennis of the match with some outstanding shots. Just as he’s done over the last 15 years, when it matters most, he produces.

Djokovic was left displeased early in the fourth set after a comment from a spectator, and there were some words exchanged.

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It seemed to fire him up because he broke Popyrin in the sixth game. Djokovic had three match points at 5-2 up on his opponent’s serve but a determined Popyrin fought back to force the 23-time major winner to serve it out for the match.

Djokovic, who is bidding for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title, did so with no issues and secured a place in the last 32.

“I haven’t been playing my best and I’m still trying to find my form, but particularly in the early rounds you’re playing players with nothing to lose really,” said Djokovic.

“They come out on Centre Court, trying to play their best match and best tennis, and I think both my first and second-round opponents are really great quality tennis players.

“I managed to find a way to win in four, that’s what counts in the end, and hopefully I can be able to build as the tournament progresses.”

He will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the last 32 after the Argentine, who beat Andy Murray in the first round, overcame Gael Monfils with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory.

Novak Djokovic survived a fierce test against teenager Dino Prizmic at the Australian Open y as he launched his bid for a historic 25th  Grand Slam, but defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka destroyed her opponent 6-0, 6-1.

World number one Djokovic, who is gunning for an 11th  Australian Open title to pull clear of Margaret Court on the all-time list of majors, won 6-2, 6-7 (5⁄7), 6-3, 6-4.

The Serbian, with 24 Slams under his belt, is already the most decorated player in the men’s game – two clear of the injured Rafael Nadal and four ahead of the retired Roger Federer.

The 36-year-old – now boasting a 29-match winning run in Melbourne – was expected to breeze through against Croatia’s Prizmic, who is half his age.

But after coasting to the first set he was given a searching examination by the youngster, who levelled the match in a tie-break.

The Croatian qualifier threatened to pull away in the third set but the veteran rallied from 3-2 down, reeling off the next eight games to seize control and he was able to snuff out another late fightback.

“He deserved every applause, every credit that he got tonight,” Djokovic after Prizmic left the court to a standing ovation from the Melbourne crowd.

“He’s an amazing player, so mature for his age and he handled himself on the court incredibly well. This is his moment, honestly. It could easily have been his match as well.”

Djokovic will play either Marc Polmans or Alexei Popyrin, both Australians, in the second round but will be keen to iron out the kinks after an uncharacteristically sloppy display, which included 49 unforced errors.

Women’s second seed Sabalenka took to the court after 11:30 pm, determined to wrap things up quickly and she demolished German qualifier Ella Seidel.

The Belarusian world number two, clad in striking red on the blue court, raced through the first set 6-0 in just 22 minutes.

She was denied a rare “double-bagel” but made no mistake on her own serve to seal victory in 53 minutes.

 “Super happy to be back in Melbourne – I have incredible memories from here,” said the 25-year-old.

 “Hopefully I can stay here till the very last day.”

Men’s fifth seed Andrey Rublev was earlier given an almighty scare when he was two sets up and cruising against Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild.

His 78th  -ranked opponent refused to lie down and breaks in the third and fourth sets set up a tantalising decider against the two-time quarter-finalist.

Rublev failed to convert four match points on Seyboth Wild’s serve at 5-6 in the fifth set but he regained his composure in the decisive tie-break, rallying from 2-5 to triumph on his fifth match point after three hours and 42 minutes.

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The Russian collapsed to the ground before letting out a guttural roar, admitting he relaxed in the deciding tie-break, believing he was heading out of the tournament.

 “When I was losing 4-1, mentally I gave up and maybe that’s what helped me in the end,” he said. “I felt it’s not my day but then I hit some good serves and good returns.”

Former champion Caroline Wozniacki progressed when Polish 20th seed Magda Linette retired injured when trailing 6-2, 2-0.

Wozniacki, who won the title in Melbourne in 2018, came out of retirement last year following the birth of two children.

The 33-year-old former world number one said she believed she can triumph again.

“I feel at home here,” she said. “The court brings back amazing memories.”

Men’s fourth seed Jannik Sinner overcame Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 while there were wins for seeded US pair Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.

It was tougher for former French Open champion and ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova, who came from behind to see off Japanese wildcard Mai Hontama 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Injured former top-10 star Matteo Berrettini pulled out of the tournament on the eve of a blockbuster first-round clash with Tsitsipas, who will now face Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs.