Novak Djokovic said he doesn’t know if he will be back at the French Open after praising Joao Fonseca for ending his bid for a record 25th grand slam title with an extraordinary comeback from two sets down.
Following the shock exit of favourite Jannik Sinner yesterday and with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz absent due to injury, the 39-year-old Djokovic faced a golden opportunity to win a record 25th grand slam title with his two biggest rivals removed from his path.
He led the Brazilian 28th seed by two sets, but the 19-year-old Fonseca launched a thrilling fight-back to extend the battle and drag Djokovic into a decider where, for only the second time in his career, Djokovic lost at a grand slam after leading by two sets.
It means a new men’s grand slam champion will be crowned in Paris this fortnight and Djokovic refused to discuss the opportunity that had slipped through his fingers after waiting patiently for this sort of chance.
Djokovic, who said he “ran out of gas”, admitted Fonseca was too good: “Incredible match to be part of. Tough one for me to lose being two sets to love up. But huge credit for Joao for really deserving to win the match. He without a doubt was the better player in the important moments.”
Follow the reaction from an immense upset, below:
Casper Ruud saves match points to beat Tommy Paul in another thriller
Casper Ruud! What a performance and comeback from the former French Open runner-up. From two sets down, and from match point down in the fourth set, the Norwegian fights back to beat Tommy Paul 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 7-5 in four hours and 43 minutes. An incredible victory.
He will play Joao Fonseca next. That’s another cracker, in a loaded quarter of the draw.
Why end of Novak Djokovic’s French Open dream signals the start of a new era
It was the opportunity Novak Djokovic had been waiting for. Jannik Sinner was on his way home before the third round. Carlos Alcaraz was absent, unable to defend his French Open title. At 39 and with his chances of winning a record 25th grand slam singles title running out, Djokovic’s two biggest rivals, who between them had won the last nine major titles and ended his quest at the last four consecutive attempts, had been cleared from his path. As the men’s draw in Paris was blown wide open, Djokovic was the only grand slam champion remaining in the tournament.
But then Djokovic’s dream of grand slam history was ripped up by the arrival of a new star.
Novak Djokovic: ‘I don’t know if this will be my last Roland Garros’
Novak Djokovic said he “doesn’t know” if he will be back at the French Open next year, when he will be 40. He said the same thing last year, when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
He also refused to discuss the opportunity of winning a 25th grand slam title with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz out of the way, shutting down the question while it was being asked.
Novak Djokovic backs Joao Fonseca to win grand slam titles
“He definitely has the potential to do that. Things have to come together and of course he’s very professional from what I’ve seen so far in the last couple years he’s been on the tour.
“The talent he’s got, the firepower he’s got, the whole Brazilian nation you cheering him on. T here’s a lot of excitement around him and rightfully so. Hopefully he can be the the next great thing and win slams.
“I told him he deserved to win and he played an unbelievable match and he should be proud of himself. I wished him good luck for the rest of the tournament.
“The kind of tennis we’ve seen him play created a lot of hype around him. We all saw today why there’s hype around him. The level was amazing.”
Novak Djokovic on fitness issues in the fifth: ‘I ran out of gas’
“I just I ran out of gas to be honest. I didn’t feel good at all on the court in the last couple sets. I think the end of the fourth was my chance
“He just played really good points. He was attacking. Big serves. When I when I look back at the important moments, could I have done something different? You can always say yes. But you just have to say well done and congratulate him. Hats off. I mean, he just played lights out tennis every time there was a decisive moment.”
Novak Djokovic congratulates Joao Fonseca on five-set French Open victory
“Incredible match to be part of. Tough one for me to lose being two sets to love up. But huge credit for Joao for really deserving to win the match. He without a doubt was the better player in the important moments, in those crucial 4th and 5th… some amazing exchanges and points and he just found incredible shots, lines. It was just amazing from his side. Obviously not great for me to be facing a player playing such a level. I don’t think I’ve done too much wrong with my game. He was just better.”
French Open: Can Alexander Zverev take this opportunity?
Alexander Zverev is the new favourite to win the French Open. The German has reached three grand slam finals, losing to Dominic Thiem at the US Open in 2020, Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open in 2024 and Jannik Sinner at the US Open in 2025.
The second seed is on court now, following Novak Djokovic’s shock defeat, and is an early break up on Quentin Halys, the Frenchman.
Joao Fonseca wishes his mum Happy Birthday
Fonseca finished his victory speech by doing two things: he remembered his mum’s birthday! And he greeted his fans in Brazilian. What a brilliant connection he has with those fans, who are so, so loud.
Fonseca has also won from two-sets down for the second match in a row. He beat Dino Prizmic in five-sets, then beat Djokovic in four hours and 53 minutes. Extraordinary.
French Open: No former grand slam champions in last-16
According to Opta, this is the first time in the Open era where a former men’s grand slam winner has not reached the last-16.
This French Open is unprecedented.
Novak Djokovic loses from two sets up for only the second time
Before today, Novak Djokovic had won 209 matches at the grand slams from two sets up.
His only defeat came to Jurgen Melzer in the 2010 French Open quarter-finals.
Joao Fonseca is only the second player, in 211 attempts, to beat Djokovic from two sets down.
