Novak Djokovic to undergo surgery for torn meniscus and could miss Wimbledon, reports say

Novak Djokovic’s June has gone from bad to worse. The current world No. 1 withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday due to a knee injury, but it looks like he could miss more time.

According to ESPN, an MRI revealed that Djokovic tore the meniscus in his right knee during his match against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday. He will reportedly require surgery to repair the tear, and the recovery time means he may not be ready for Wimbledon in early July.

Djokovic, 37, played the full five sets against Cerundolo in Round 4 on Monday and injured his knee at one point during the match. He received courtside treatment but struggled and appeared to be cooked after falling behind 2-1. But Djokovic dug himself out of that hole, demolished the final two sets and won both to advance to the quarterfinals. He withdrew the following morning.

Djokovic has been remarkably healthy throughout his career. He’s struggled with wrist and back injuries in the past, but hasn’t missed significant time with an injury in years. Combined with his late start as a professional (at least compared to teenage phenoms Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer), those factors are why he remains the best in the world at 37, while Nadal limps toward retirement and Federer has been off the ATP tour for over a year.

Wimbledon, which Djokovic has won seven times, begins on July 1. It’s entirely possible he won’t be fit to play. But even if he is, he could decide not to. Djokovic has 24 career Grand Slam titles but zero Olympic medals. So he may opt to save his return for the Summer Games — the men’s singles event begins July 27 in Paris — rather than switch to grass for a few weeks before jumping back onto clay for the Olympics at Roland Garros.