Djokovic withdraws from the Roland Garros tournament.

Djokovic withdraws from the Roland Garros tournament.
Djokovic withdraws from the Roland Garros tournament.

Organizers revealed in a statement on Tuesday that Serbian Novak Djokovic, the reigning champion and world number one, withdrew from the French Open before his quarterfinal match due to a knee injury sustained during a marathon fourth-round match in which he defeated Francisco Cerundolo.

This withdrawal ended the Serbian player's attempt to extend his record by securing 25 Grand Slam titles and will result in him losing the top spot in the world rankings to Italian Jannik Sinner later this month.

The organizers stated: "Due to a meniscus tear in his right knee discovered during an MRI scan, Djokovic, who was supposed to face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, had to withdraw from Roland Garros, allowing the latter to advance to the semifinals on Wednesday."

The marathon match held on Monday was Djokovic's second consecutive five-set match following a previous epic battle against Lorenzo Musetti.

The Serbian said he had been suffering from the injury for two weeks, adding that the problem worsened when he slipped during his match against Cerundolo.