Reports: Novak Djokovic ready for surgery, Wimbledon doubtful

Novak Djokovic will undergo surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee that forced him to withdraw from Roland-Garros, according to multiple reports.

The operation will put the 37-year-old’s status for Wimbledon in doubt with the All-England Club major just a month away. ESPN reports that there is a good chance that Djokovic will skip the grass-court tournament and instead focus on preparing for the start of the Olympic tournament in Paris on July 27.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, has never won Olympic gold. He is a seven-time Wimbledon champion.

After withdrawing from Roland-Garros on Tuesday with the injury, Djokovic will lose his No. 1 ranking, while Jannik Sinner will take over next week.

“I am very sad to announce that I have to withdraw from #rolandgarros,” Djokovic posted on social media. “I played with my heart and gave everything in yesterday’s match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I have had to make a difficult decision after careful consideration and consultation.”

Djokovic was injured on Monday during a fourth-round win against No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo that lasted five sets over more than four and a half hours. It was his second consecutive five-setter, with a total time on track over the two of more than nine hours.

The reigning tournament champion was scheduled to face No. 7 seed Casper Ruud, the runner-up for the past two years at Roland Garros, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Instead, Ruud will get a walkover to the semifinals, where he will face No. 4 Alexander Zverev or No. 11 Alex de Minaur.

With Djokovic, the owner of three French Open titles, out of the race, and Rafael Nadal – owner of a record 14 – eliminated in the first round, someone will hold the French Open men’s trophy for the first time on Sunday .