Novak Djokovic injury update: Serb to undergo MRI scan before deciding whether to withdraw from French Open QF or not

Novak Djokovic's continued participation at the 2024 French Open now hinges on a crucial MRI scan scheduled on Tuesday, June 4, in Paris, following which the World No. 1 will decide whether to play in the quarterfinals. Djokovic is set to take on Casper Ruud in the last-eight fixture and is three wins short of defending his title at Roland Garros this year.

On Monday, June 3, the Serb took on Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round at the French Open, where he battled for 4.5 hours to beat the Argentine in a five-setter. It marked the second successive five-set marathon he has had to play in Paris, with Lorenzo Musetti also stretching the 24-time Grand Slam champion to his limits in the third round.

Against Cerundolo, Novak Djokovic displayed concerning signs of physical struggle, often not running for balls that he would have usually pounced on. During the final set, he also suffered a nasty fall on Court Philippe-Chartrier, which left him fuming about the court conditions in Roland Garros.

Speaking at his press conference afterward, the 37-year-old revealed that he has been having some discomfort in his right knee, and that he was not entirely sure whether he would be taking the court for his next match.

"I do not know what will happen, tomorrow or after tomorrow, if I will be able to step out on court and play, but I hope so. Let's see what happens, For the last couple of weeks, I had some discomfort in the right knee but I haven't had an injury that would be concerning me at all. I was playing a few tournaments with it and had no issues until today," Novak Djokovic said.

"It did disrupt me, definitely, in play. For two-and-a-half sets, I did not want to stay in the rally too long. At one point, I didn't know to be honest whether I should continue or not," he added.

Now, it has come to light that the World No. 1 has indeed opted to have a proper look at the extent of his injury before choosing the next course of action.

As reported by Serbian media sportal.rs, Djokovic and his team will only confirm his presence at the tournament after the MRI scan, set to happen around 3:00 pm local time, gives him the go-ahead. Ahead of the scan, the defending champion also opted out of practicing on his off day to not exacerbate the issue.

Novak Djokovic goes into French Open QF having lost his most recent clash against Casper Ruud

2024 French Open - Day 9

The meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2024 French Open will be the seventh between Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud, with the Serb leading 5-1 in the head-to-head. However, their most recent clash at the Monte-Carlo Masters this year went the Norwegian's way.

They have met once before in Roland Garros, in the final last year. At the time, the Serb won in straight sets to win his third title at the tournament. Should Djokovic withdraw ahead of their clash on Wednesday, Casper Ruud will go on to play either Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur in the semifinals.