Novak Djokovic is injured and calls into question the courts of Roland-Garros – Libération

Roland-Garros 2024fileAfter a slip on the Philippe-Chatrier court which affected his right knee, the Serbian champion regretted Monday June 3 in the evening “the quite unusual conditions this year” at the Parisian tournament. He says he is uncertain for his next match, Wednesday, in the quarter-final.

Liar poker for the joker? Novak Djokovic declared Monday evening June 3 that he was not sure if he would be able to play his next match at Roland Garros, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, because of his right knee injury during his round of 16 victory. against Francisco Cerundolo (6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3). “Today I got injured. Yes, I survived, I won the match. Great. But will I be able to play the next one? I don’t know. I don’t know the severity of my injury,” declared the Serbian champion, specifying that his injury was linked to a lack of earth on the court and adding that he was able to finish his match thanks to anti-inflammatories.

“In recent weeks I have had a little discomfort in my right knee, but nothing to do with a worrying injury. I played tournaments with it and nothing happened until today. But in the third game of the second set, I slipped and it affected my knee,” explained Novak Djokovic. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, or if I will be able to get on the court and play,” he asked.

“I started to have pain and I asked the physio to do something. It completely destabilized me for two sets, two and a half sets. […] At one point, I didn’t know if I should continue or not. I was given treatment and, after the end of the third set, I asked for more,” Djoko said, without elaborating further on the “treatment” in question. Its effect in any case began to be felt after 45 minutes “i.e. towards the end of the fourth set”, when Djokovic was able to move more freely.

“I played the entire fifth set with almost no pain. But the effects of the medications will wear off. We will do more exams tomorrow [mardi]“, he added Monday evening, stressing that those carried out immediately after the match had been “partly positive but partly worrying too”.

“It looked like they had removed dirt”

The Serbian star also explained that he slipped due to a lack of clay on the Philippe-Chatrier court. “The conditions have been quite unusual this year. It rained a lot, it was very humid, with mud… Conditions that affect the surface,” he recalled.

To deal with these conditions which can alter the clay courts, “it looked like they had removed dirt and in places there was almost none. And as the conditions were much drier today, the court was slippery,” he explained.

The Serbian, who must reach the final to maintain his place as world number 1 threatened by Jannik Sinner, must play his quarter-final on Wednesday against the Norwegian Casper Ruud (7th), whom he beat last year in the final.