PARIS: Novak Djokovic's right knee went under the knife to repair a torn medial meniscus in Paris, early on Wednesday. The 37-year-old, presumably in a race to get fit for the Paris Olympics Games to be played at Roland Garros in July-August, went ahead with the procedure a day after he pulled out of the French Open.
The torn meniscus, picked up by a MRI scan the day after Djokovic beat Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round, forced Djokovic to pull out of Roland Garros, where he was scheduled to play Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The Serbian, who usually plays the waiting-dodging game with invasive treatment, going with it only when he has exhausted all options, didn't waste much time in pressing the green button for surgery this time.
Djokovic, 37, who arrived in Paris, 'feeling his knees', but was still good to compete, may have strained and torn the meniscus during his third and fourth round matches, both five-setters, totalling over nine-hours of court time in a span of 48-hours.
The time frame for recovery - which could range between four to eight weeks, depending on the degree of repair- in all probability rules him out of Wimbledon, where he has triumphed seven times.
The Olympic tennis competition starts on July 27, giving the 24-time Grand Slam champion enough for recovery and rehab.
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