Novak Djokovic to undergo knee surgery, casting doubts about Wimbledon status

Novak Djokovic may miss another major tournament after withdrawing from the French Open on Tuesday. 

ESPN's Tom Hamilton reported Djokovic will undergo surgery in Paris on Wednesday for a torn right meniscus. He suffered the injury in a fourth-round victory against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday. This raises doubts about his status for Wimbledon, which runs from July 1 to July 14. 

Hamilton noted it wouldn't be surprising if Djokovic skips Wimbledon to instead prepare for the Paris Olympics. The Olympic tennis tournament begins on July 27. 

Djokovic has won a men's record 24 Grand Slam titles but has yet to capture Olympic gold. His best finish came in Beijing in 2008, when he earned a bronze medal. This may explain why the 37-year-old Serbian has his sights set on the Paris Games. 

"It's all about building my game for clay courts," Djokovic said in April, via Hamilton. "I want to reach my peak for Paris. That's where I want to play my best tennis. Anything else is a bonus, so let's see what happens." 

Assuming Djokovic doesn't play at Wimbledon, his absence could increase the chance that Carlos Alcaraz will repeat as champion. The 21-year-old Spaniard beat Djokovic in the final last year. As of Wednesday, FanDuel lists Alcaraz as the favorite (+135) to win the major tournament tournament again.

Surprisingly, Djokovic has yet to win a Slam title this year. The last time he failed to win one of the four major tournaments was in 2017. Should Djokovic sit out Wimbledon, the U.S. Open (scheduled to be played from Aug. 26 to Sept. 8) could be Dojokvic's last chance to keep this streak alive.