Novak Djokovic is set to MISS Wimbledon as he prepares to undergo surgery TODAY on knee injury that forced him to withdraw from French Open

Novak Djokovic will miss Wimbledon after undergoing meniscus surgery in Paris on Wednesday morning.

The 37-year-old withdrew from Roland Garros on Tuesday after suffering a right knee injury during his fourth-round victory over Francisco Cerundolo and has decided to undergo immediate surgery.

Wimbledon starts on July 1 and the best-case scenario in terms of recovery time after medial meniscus surgery is three weeks. That would theoretically give him a chance to play in the championships, but once you factor in extra time to regain his match fitness and adapt to the grass – a surface that puts a lot of strain on the knees – it seems impossible, even for a man with extraordinary powers of physical recovery.

It is likely that Djokovic will instead focus on the Paris Olympics, which start on July 27 here at Roland Garros, for his recovery. A gold medal is the only thing missing from his collection.

With Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal almost certain to skip Wimbledon, this will be the first championships since 1998 to take place without one of the Big Three in the draw.

The veteran underwent meniscus surgery in Paris after picking up the problem at the French Open

Despite finishing his match against Francisco Cerundolo, he was forced to withdraw from the tournament

He suffered the injury during his fourth round match against Francisco Cerundolo, but fought through the pain to win in five sets. However, an MRI scan revealed the bad news and he had to withdraw from the quarter-final against Casper Ruud on Wednesday.

As a result, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will lose his No. 1 world ranking after the French Open and 22-year-old Jannik Sinner will become Italy’s first ever player, male or female, to top the rankings .

Djokovic showed clear signs of a pair against Cerundolo but fought through it to claim victory before conceding defeat in his battle to stay in the competition.

His impending withdrawal from Wimbledon means British fans will not see a repeat of his fierce battle against Carlos Alcaraz from last year’s competition, which led to the Spaniard winning 6-4 in the fifth set.

The 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons are now about to take a break from competition as he focuses on recovery and getting back to fitness as quickly as possible.

Djokovic posted the following on Instagram: ‘I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros. “I played with my heart and gave it my all in yesterday’s match and unfortunately… after careful consideration and consultation, my team and I had to make a difficult decision.”

Tuesday’s announcement will send a shiver down the spine at Roland Garros, and not just at the prospect of losing the biggest name in the draw. Djokovic blamed his injury on the condition of the courts, which he said were slippery due to a lack of clay on the surface.

The star had said after the match that he was ‘slipping and slipping all the time’ on the Roland Garos surface

He announced on Instagram after the match that he was ‘really sad’ to withdraw from the tournament in France

During his match against Cerundolo he asked for the pitch to be brushed more often, a request that was rejected. ‘I sprained my knee because I made a fast movement. I slip and slide all the time,” he told the tournament official.

Afterwards, Djokovic revealed that he had been suffering from mild knee pain for several weeks before a sudden move worsened it. ‘Could this injury have been prevented?’ he said. “Maybe, if only the track was paid more attention to during the set.”