Jannik Sinner takes over from Novak Djokovic as new World No. 1 after Serb's French Open withdrawal
Jannik Sinner is set to become the World No. 1 for the first time in his career after Novak Djokovic pulled out midway through the ongoing French Open due to a knee injury. Djokovic will not take part in the quarterfinal, which means that Casper Ruud has gained automatic qualification to the semi-final.
On Tuesday, June 3, Djokovic defeated Franciso Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a thrilling five-setter that went on for over four hours. But at the start of the second set, Djokovic experienced discomfort in his right knee. He took a medical timeout, during which he received treatment. Later, on Tuesday, scans revealed that the 24-time Grand Slam winner had a “torn medial meniscus.”
“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 quarter-finals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament," Roland Garros organisers said.
Djokovic's wait to win a title in 2024 has grown longer since he was unable to defend his French Open championship. After his hard-fought win over Cerundolo, the Serb admitted that he has had issues with his right knee.
“For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort, I would call it, in the right knee, but I have not had an injury that would be concerning me at all. I was playing a few tournaments with it, and had no issues until today,” Djokovic said in the post-match press conference.
Jannik Sinner’s incredible rise continues
Sinner, in the meantime, will become the new World No. 1 in the rankings set to release on June 10. He will become the 29th player and the first Italian to achieve the landmark. Sinner could have risen to the top if he had advanced to the finals at Roland Garros, even if Djokovic had won the title there.
Apart from being the new top-ranked player, Sinner also made his way through to the semis. On Tuesday, he defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) at Philippe-Chatrier in a game that lasted for two hours and 29 minutes. Sinner dominated with his serves and earned four service breaks to win against Dimitrov, who was playing in his maiden French Open quarters.
In the semi-final, Sinner will lock horns with the winner of the quarterfinal between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz.