The 2024 French Open will probably go down as one of the most controversial editions in the tournament’s history. Challenges like unforeseen weather conditions and poor scheduling of matches have hit the event and many players have raised their voices against it. While the first week of the tournament saw rain gods taking over, the second week has seen a massive rise in temperature and humidity. And it all went downhill.

The World Number 1 Novak Djokovic voiced his concerns about slippery clay and the resulting increased probability of injuries. We are now of course seeing the consequences as the Serbian has pulled out of Roland Garros owing to a meniscus tear, that his team claims happened due to tournament organizers’ neglect. The French Open has ignored Djokovic’s concerns, which is affecting the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz now as well.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered at the hands of the slippery courts at Roland Garros due to moisture and humidity. Moreover, the tournament also didn’t provide ice towels to the players which could’ve provided relief to the players amid the poor conditions. As a result, the likes of Rennae Stubbs and renowned coach Sven Groeneveld have also lashed out at the authorities for failing to protect the players.

Stubbs took to her official Twitter handle and said, “How do u NOT have ice towels on the court before the match starts!?? Like what the heck!!” Player safety has been a rising concern but the French Open tournament seems to be falling more short of expectations by the day.

Similarly, Sven Groeneveld reacted to Stubbs’ tweet and revealed a harsh reality about tennis. He said, “Players for some reason are not always priority in our sport.”

Meanwhile, Djokovic was left frustrated with his untimely knee problem as a player whose injury history looks relatively better than his peers. The defending champion had to withdraw from the tournament, even losing his World No. 1 spot to Jannik Sinner come Monday. The Serbinator gave his all in the matches played here but had a saddening end and blamed himself for it.

What did Novak Djokovic say about his knee injury?

The Serbinator had to play back-to-back 5-set matches against Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo in the third and fourth rounds respectively at the tournament. Eventually, it took a toll on his body and he suffered a knee injury midway through his match against Cerundolo. Although Djokovic continued in that match and even won, the scans done on his knee later revealed a saddening tale.

As a result, Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the French Open and took the blame upon himself during a conversation with the supervisor. He said, “I screwed up my knee. I’m slipping all the time. The only thing I ask of you is that you sweep the dips more often.”

However, the supervisor expressed his helplessness in this matter which didn’t go down well with Djokovic. He hit back by saying, “The supervisors are supposed to look after the players and I’m telling you, as a player, that the earth is bad.”

While Djokovic bowed out of the French Open, Sinner and Alcaraz are currently playing their semifinal encounter. It is locked at one set apiece, with Alcaraz being a break up in the third set.