Novak Djokovic: Wimbledon hopes in doubt after world No1 undergoes knee surgery

Novak Djokovic’s participation at Wimbledon hangs in the balance after undergoing surgery on his right knee in Paris on Wednesday morning.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from his French Open quarter-final against Casper Ruud because of the issue, which is similar to the one which brought an end to Roger Federer’s career.

Djokovic faces three weeks out as a minimum and will be in a race against time in order to make it to Wimbledon, where he was bidding for an eighth singles title.

The 37-year-old had set both Wimbledon and the Olympics as his two major targets for the latter part of 2024 but could forego SW19 entirely for what will almost certainly be his last bid for Olympic gold in Paris later this summer.

Djokovic had been nursing a knee injury at Roland Garros, which was exacerbated by back-to-back five-set marathons.

He complained the slippery surface was to blame for the issue. During his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo, he needed a medical timeout and painkillers early in the second set.

He needed further physio as well as painkillers as the match wore on, but said he had been pain free in the final set but still cast doubt over being fit to face Ruud in the quarter-finals.

A scan on Tuesday morning uncovered a torn meniscus with surgery taking place just 24 hours later.