Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the French Open ahead of his quarter-final match.
The tennis world number one was due to play Casper Ruud on Wednesday but has withdrawn due to a knee injury.
The Norwegian will therefore go straight into the semi-finals.
His withdrawal means Djokovic’s hopes to extend his record with a 25th grand slam trophy will not be realised.
The Serbian will lose the world number one ranking to Italy‘s Jannik Sinner later this month.
Organisers said Djokovic had been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament “due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee”.
The NHS website advises a break from exercise and plenty of knee rest during the first few days after a meniscus tear.
But it is unclear how long the injury will keep Djokovic off the tennis court and whether he will be fit to play Wimbledon.
The tournament gets underway on 1 July, with Djokovic aiming to go one better than his second-place finish behind Spain‘s Carlos Alcaraz last year, and claim a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon singles title.
The 37-year-old had been dealing with a knee injury ahead of his five-set victory over Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday.
He slipped on the court during the second set and began grimacing and rubbing his right knee, before receiving medical attention several times.
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“For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort, I would call it, in the right knee, but I haven’t had an injury that would be concerning me at all,” Djokovic said after the game.
“But I actually felt great coming into the match – as good as I could under the circumstances – and played really well first set.
“Then in the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of the many times that I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee.”
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