Novak Djokovic withdraws from the French Open with a knee injury and will lose the No. 1 ranking WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

PARIS — (AP) — Novak Djokovic pulled out of the the French Open with an injured knee on Tuesday, an abrupt end to his title defense and to his current stay at No. 1 in the rankings.

“I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from #rolandgarros,” Djokovic posted 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.”

The tournament said the extent of the injury was found during an MRI exam Tuesday. Djokovic was hurt during a fourth-round victory against No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo on Monday that lasted five sets spread across more than 4 1/2 hours. It was his second consecutive five-setter, with his total time on court across the two exceeding 9 hours.

The 24-time Grand Slam championwas supposed …