Djokovic withdrawal ushers a new era in Paris

PARIS — Novak Djokovic's worst fears materialized as a knee injury forced him out of the French Open on Tuesday, while women's reigning champion Iga Swiatek surged into the semifinals with another ruthless display.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, served up a convincing reminder of his Roland Garros title credentials after Djokovic's exit ensured there will be a new name engraved on the men's trophy.

World No 1 and 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic withdrew ahead of his quarterfinal against Casper Ruud, after a scan revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.

The 37-year-old Djokovic had blamed the "slippery" Roland Garros courts for aggravating the problem during his last-16 win on Monday.

"I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros," Djokovic wrote on social media.

"I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday's match and, unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation."

Ruud, who lost to Djokovic in last year's final, will receive a walkover and play Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur in the semifinals on Friday.

Djokovic's injury-enforced exit from the tournament also means that Jannik Sinner will become Italy's first No 1 in the sport next week.

Perhaps more surprisingly, for the first time since 2004, the men's final in Paris will not feature Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.

Amid a season in which Djokovic is only 18-6 and has not reached a final at any tournament, let alone won one, he needed to get back to the title match at the French Open to continue to add to his record for most weeks at No 1.

For years, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer ruled men's tennis as the so-called "Big Three", accumulating a total of 66 major championships among them. But, Federer, now 42, is retired, and Nadal, who turned 38 on Monday, is trying to figure out how much longer he can compete after missing most of the past one-and-a-half seasons with injuries.

Future concerns

No one knows yet how long Djokovic, 37, will be sidelined or what, if any, effect this might have on his future.

Wimbledon, where he has won seven titles, starts July 1, and the tennis competition at the Paris Olympics starts at Roland Garros on July 27.

"I saw that he was obviously physically struggling (Monday), and I honestly thought he was on the verge of losing," said US Open champion Coco Gauff, who made her way into the women's semifinals with a three-set win over Ons Jabeur and will play No 1 Iga Swiatek on Thursday.

Seeing Djokovic pull out the win against Francisco Cerundolo, Gauff said, made her think "that he would win the title".

Djokovic's knee had been bothering him for a couple of weeks before he arrived in Paris for the French Open — something he kept to himself until after the win against Cerundolo. Early in the second set Monday, Djokovic tweaked his knee and took a medical timeout. A trainer worked on the joint then and during subsequent changeovers, and Djokovic took what he said a tournament doctor told him was the maximum dose of pills allowed to dull the pain and reduce any inflammation.

Second seed Sinner reached his first Roland Garros semifinal shortly after the news of Djokovic's withdrawal, beating Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

"It's every player's dream to become No 1 in the world. On the other hand, seeing Novak retiring (from the tournament) is disappointing, so I wish him a speedy recovery," said Sinner.

The Australian Open champion goes through to a blockbuster clash with Alcaraz, a 6-3, 7-6 (3),6-4 winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas in what was a repeat of last year's quarterfinal.

Alcaraz is looking increasingly assured in Paris after an injury-hit preparation, and has now won all six encounters with Tsitsipas.

The 21-year-old Spaniard is seeking to become the youngest man to win Grand Slams on all three surfaces by adding to his Wimbledon title from a year ago and the 2022 US Open crown.

"It's going to be a really difficult challenge for me, but I'm ready to take that challenge," Alcaraz said of facing Sinner.

"It's the match everybody wants to watch. Let's see who's going to win."

The pair have split eight previous matches, with Alcaraz winning a five-set US Open quarterfinal classic en route to the title two years ago in their most recent duel at a major.

Relentless Swiatek

Earlier in the day, Swiatek thrashed Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2 to set up a last-four showdown with American third seed Gauff, the player she beat in the 2022 Roland Garros final.

World No 1 Swiatek improved her career record in Paris to 33-2, and is on course to become the first woman to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen three years in a row since Justine Henin achieved the feat between 2005 and '07.

After Swiatek's 40-minute rout of Anastasia Potapova in the last 16, the only consolation for Vondrousova was her snapping the Pole's incredible run of 20 consecutive games won early in the second set.

"Honestly I think everything worked," said the 23-year-old Swiatek. "I felt like I was in the zone today."

Since saving a match point against Naomi Osaka in round two, Swiatek has looked every bit the tournament favorite, and goes into her semifinal with Gauff having won 10 of their 11 meetings, all in straight sets.

Gauff has come up short against Swiatek in four attempts on clay, and was beaten by the top seed on her way to the title in Rome last month.

"You don't want to change your routines. Not to put too much baggage on your shoulders, just treat it like any other match and not something huge," said Swiatek.

Gauff passed her toughest test of the fortnight as she fought back from a set down to beat three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur 4-6,6-2, 6-3.

The 20-year-old Gauff is set for a third straight Grand Slam semifinal, after also making the last four at the Australian Open.

"Everybody knows I want to go all the way," said Gauff, who must try to end Swiatek's 19-match French Open winning run.

"I have nothing to lose. All the pressure is on her."

AFP