Novak Djokovic has admitted that the 2024 season has not gone as per plan . After being knocked out by Casper Ruud in Monte Carlo, Djokovic had said, “I’m used to a really high standard in terms of expectations and result. Not having a title is – compared to the last 15 years – not a great season at all.”
“I had semis in Australia (the Australian Open), the semis here. It’s normal to expect that you have some seasons where you don’t start well - this is the one,” he added.
At Indian Wells and Rome, Djokovic lost in the Round of 32 and had another semi-final run at the Geneva Open in preparation for the French Open. At the Italian Open in Rome, he was accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle last month before suffering stomach problems in Geneva.
One would need to go back to the 2018 season to see such a trophy drought for the Serb. That year, Djokovic’s first title came at Wimbledon in what was his 13th major title. He’s added 11 since. That is 11 major titles from 21 (or 19 if you remove the 2022 Australian Open where he was deported and US Open where he was ineligible).
Even after such a poor season, it would have been foolish to count defending French Open champion Djokovic out. No matter how dire the circumstances, how steep the deficit is. He’s shown that many times over the years - and he did in the last week as well.
His five setter against Lorenzo Musetti finished at 3:07 am having started late due to multiple factors. Novak trailed two-sets-to-one against the Italian before triumphing 6-3 and 6-0 in the fourth and fifth sets.
A day later, he was required to do much of the same. Once again he trailed by two-sets-to-one, this time against Francisco Cerundolo, and by a break in the fourth set.
Early in the second set, Djokovic tweaked his knee and took a medical timeout. A trainer worked on the joint and during subsequent changeovers, and the 37-year-old took the maximum dose of pills allowed to dull the pain and reduce any inflammation.
Eventually, Djokovic persisted, kept fighting, put the pressure on the Argentine and scraped through in four-and-a-half-hours . But it came at a cost. Over the two matches, Djokovic spent a staggering nine hours on court. He later revealed that the knee had been bothering him for a couple of weeks.
“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow — or, after tomorrow, if I’ll be able to step out on the court and play,” Djokovic said on Monday evening .
“I was,” Djokovic said afterward, “maybe three or four points away from losing this match.”
“I mean, today I injured myself. Yes, I survived. I won the match. Great. But will I be able to play next one?” he said, tapping his palms on a table for emphasis.
The answer to that came the next day.
Roland Garros announced his withdrawal , saying an MRI scan had revealed the full extent of the injury.
“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros,” Djokovic wrote on social media.
“I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday’s match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.”
The last time he retired at a Grand Slam was during the 2019 US Open when a shoulder problem forced him to quit against Stan Wawrinka in the last-16.
Was this one preventable though? The 37-year-old had complained about the state of the clay in the match with Musetti, and did so again against Cerundolo, calling for the court to be swept more regularly.
“Could have this injury be prevented? Possibly, if there was just a little bit more of a frequent care of the court,” Djokovic said.
His withdrawal not only opens the door for Casper Ruud to advance untested, but it also means that Jannik Sinner will become Italy’s first world number one next week.
Sinner advanced to his first French Open semi-final shortly after Djokovic’s exit, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
“It’s every player’s dream to become number one in the world. On the other hand, seeing Novak retiring (from the tournament) is disappointing, so I wish him a speedy recovery,” said Sinner.
For Djokovic, it is an end to 39 straight weeks at the top - taking his overall tally to a record 428 weeks.
The road ahead, should he get fit, isn’t straightforward either.
Wimbledon, which he has won seven times — one less than Roger Federer, starts on 1 July. The Summer Olympics, where he would love to finally collect a gold medal, starts its tennis matches on 27 July at Roland Garros.
There’s not been a final to show this season, let alone a title. There’s no permanent replacement for coach Goran Ivanisevic either.
The road ahead in terms of ranking points gets tougher too. He will be defending 1200 points at the All England Club, 1000 points in Cincinnati, 2000 points at the US Open, 1000 points at the Paris Masters and 1300 points at the ATP Finals. In all, he has 6600 points to defend with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz hot on his heels.
The more Djokovic looks to the future, the more he also has to look back. Look back at multiple moments in the match against Cerundolo. Did he err in pushing on to play when his body was clearly shutting down and only stayed upright with medication? The Serb admitted that by the fifth set when the meds had kicked in, he was pain-free. “Basically the whole fifth set [I] was almost without any pain,” he said. “I’m glad that I was able to play without feeling that pain that I felt for two-and-a-half sets.” Reality check hit the next morning.
Maybe Djokovic should have paid heed to the warning signs depicted by his Big 3 peers. Roger Federer injured his knee in 2016 and spent a considerable period out. Rafael Nadal, who went out in the first round to Alexander Zverev , has had years of hip and abdominal injuries .
For someone who has always listened to his body and strictly relied on the ‘my body is my temple’ school of thought, Djokovic would hope this isn’t a cautionary tale of someone who betrayed that belief in a desperate attempt at yet another conquest.
Tanuj Lakhina wishes there were more hours in the day for sports to be played and watched. see more
