World No. 1 Novak Djokovic Withdraws From French Open Making Jannik Sinner The New Top Player

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open after suffering a torn medial meniscus in his right knee in Monday’s five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo, making Jannik Sinner the first ever Italian man to become world No. 1 on Monday.

Sinner will become the 29th world No. 1 since the rankings started.

Djokovic, who is seeking a record 25th Grand Slam title, was due to face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Ruud will get a walkover in the quarterfinals and will face either Alexander Zverev or Alex De Minaur in the top half of the draw.

“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from #rolandgarros,” Djokovic shared via his Instagram account. “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.”

“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. See you soon. With love and gratitude, Nole,” he added.

Said Sinner: “First of all, it’s everyone’s dream to become No. 1 in the world. The other way, seeing Novak retiring and here I think it’s for everyone, disappointing. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

With 14-time champion Rafael Nadal already out, the final weekend of Roland Garros won’t include two men who have combined to win 46 major titles.

Djokovic’s status for Wimbledon, which begins July 1, remains uncertain but he may be forced to miss extended time — possibly 3-6 months — with the injury. However, American Taylor Fritz suffered a similar injury at Roland Garros in 2021 and was back within a month for Wimbledon.

Djokovic is also eying the Paris Olympics, which run July 27-Aug. 4.

“I believe that Djokovic will do all he can to be ready for the Olympic games,” ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe said by text. “It’s the only trophy or medal missing “

Djokovic had to play two 4 1/2 five-set matches against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round and then Cerundolo in the fourth.

He took a medical timeout in the early part of the second set against Cerundolo after appearing to tweak his knee during a lengthy point that saw him scramble around the court.

“I started feeling the pain [in set two] and asked for the physio treatment and the medical timeout and tried to take care of it,” he said. “It did disrupt me definitely in play. For two sets, two sets and a half, I didn’t want to stay in the rally too long. Every time he would make sudden drop shots or change directions, I would not be feeling comfortable to do the running.

“At one point I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue or not with what’s happening.”

The three-time Roland Garros champion ultimately overcame the injury to win, avoiding his first loss in a major before the quarterfinals since the 2020 U.S. Open when he was defaulted for hitting a line judge with a ball. He earned his 370th career major win, breaking a tie with Roger Federer.

Two-time major champ Carlos Alcaraz was the betting favorite entering the tournament and could face Sinner in the semifinals.