Novak Djokovic breaks silences as he reveals he’s had surgery on knee injury with Wimbledon place in major doubt

NOVAK DJOKOVIC has confirmed he has had surgery on the meniscus tear that forced him to withdraw from the French Open.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, 37, pulled out of his quarter-final clash with Casper Ruud at Roland Garros after sustaining the knee problem in his five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo.

GettyNovak Djokovic withdrew from the French Open ahead of his quarter-final match[/caption]

AFPHe faces a race to be fit for Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on the meniscus tear[/caption]

XDjokovic shared a picture of him on crutches on Thursday morning[/caption]

Now he has gone under the knife amid concerns he could miss Wimbledon next month.

But Djokovic insists the surgery “went well” and claims he will return to the court “as soon as possible”.

On X he shared a picture on crutches and said: “In the past day, I had to make some tough decisions after sustaining a meniscus tear during my last match. 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.

“I’m going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible.

“My love for this sport is strong and the desire to compete at the highest level is what keeps me going. Idemooo .”

Wimbledon gets underway on July 1, while Djokovic’s recovery is expected to take between three and six weeks.

The World No1 is bidding to surpass Margaret Court by becoming the first tennis player to win 25 Grand Slam titles.

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

The top 10 richest stars in tennis

The Serb has triumphed seven times at the All England Club, with only Roger Federer [8] boasting more men’s singles titles.

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz beat Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final last year.

But Djokovic still claimed all three other majors in 2023, before he suffered defeat to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of this year’s Australian Open.

As well as Wimbledon, he also has one eye on the Olympic Games in Paris as he looks to claim a first gold medal of his career.

His best Olympic performance came at Beijing 2008 when he won bronze.

After suffering the knee injury, Djokovic blamed the French Open‘s slippery surface.

He said: “I don’t know what exactly they have done. It seems like some of the clay was removed, so there was very little, almost no clay on the court.

“Because of the drier conditions and sun and warmer conditions, it affects the clay in such a way that it becomes very slippery.

“So the injury that I had today with the knee happened exactly because of that, because I slipped, and I slide a lot. Everyone slides on clay, but I slipped way too many times. That is quite unusual.

“Of course I do, because I have an aggressive kind of movement, dynamic change of directions.

“It’s normal for me, I’ve slipped and fell on the clay many times in my life, and on grass as well, but this was just too many times.”