Novak Djokovic: John McEnroe blasts French Open for ‘huge mistake’ after the Serb’s injury

Tennis icon John McEnroe has slammed French Open organisers for making a “huge mistake” after Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion feels the ridiculously late finish to Djokovic’s match with Lorenzo Musetti was “one of the reasons” the Serbian injured his knee.

Djokovic pulled out of Roland Garros before his quarter-final match with Casper Ruud after he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee during his fourth round win over Francisco Cerundolo.

The 37-year-old legend sustained the injury after slipping on the court during the second set of his clash with Cerundolo on Monday, which he remarkably went on to win in five sets.

In the third round, Djokovic defeated Musetti in a five-set thriller that concluded at 3:07am on Sunday morning — the latest finish in French Open history by far.

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The match began over two hours after the scheduled time on Saturday night due to the third round encounter between Grigor Dimitrov and Zizou Bergs being moved to Court Philippe-Chatrier to be completed first.

Following Djokovic’s withdrawal, it was reported on Wednesday that he had undergone surgery on his right knee, casting doubt over his hopes of competing at Wimbledon and even the Olympics in Paris.

McEnroe has hit out at the decision that led to Djokovic’s match with Musetti starting and finishing so late and argued this had a knock-on effect that contributed to the injury.

“Putting Djokovic, 37, on the court at 10:30pm [against Musetti in the third round], without knowing how long his match would last, was a huge mistake on the part of the organisation,” the American told Le Figaro .

“The weather was very bad, and they were in a difficult situation. I understand that they wanted to catch up, but there were other solutions to finish the other match (Bergs vs Dimitrov).

“Novak had been bothered by his knee for a few weeks. He had to fall asleep at 7am and come back to play a day and a half later. It’s a challenge for anyone.

“He had to fight five sets again, it’s too much to ask. Even for Novak. If we can’t say for sure, it’s one of the reasons why he injured his knee. In any case, you don’t treat a player, and even less the best in the world, that way.”

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