The 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered one of the most surprising losses of his career on Friday after 19-year-old Brazilian star Joao Fonseca came back from two sets down to win a dramatic five-set match in the third round of the French Open. Fonseca defeated Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in a battle that lasted nearly five hours. It was only the second time Djokovic had lost a Grand Slam match after winning the first two sets at Roland Garros. The first came against Jurgen Melzer in 2010.During the match, Djokovic also had a tense moment with a cameraman near his bench. As he tried to recover between games in the difficult Paris heat, the Serbian star became frustrated when the camera moved too close to him. He responded with a sarcastic comment, saying, “Can you come more in my face? For God’s sake make some space.”Even after taking an early lead, Djokovic slowly began to struggle physically while Fonseca kept pushing harder with every set. By the final stages, the teenager was matching the former world No. 1 shot for shot and refusing to back down.
Novak Djokovic runs out of energy as Joao Fonseca completes stunning French Open comeback
The first two sets suggested Djokovic was heading toward another comfortable win. He controlled the rallies, served well, and looked calm against one of the brightest young players in tennis.But Fonseca never stopped believing. The Brazilian started hitting with more confidence in the third set and slowly shifted the pressure back onto Djokovic. The crowd inside Court Philippe-Chatrier also began to rally behind the teenager as the match turned into a thriller.As the contest stretched deeper into the evening, Djokovic showed signs of exhaustion. At different moments he leaned over advertising boards trying to catch his breath and searched for any small chance to recover. Still, Fonseca kept attacking.The fifth set became a test of both skill and endurance. Every game felt important. Fonseca responded to pressure with fearless tennis, using powerful groundstrokes and clever drop shots to force mistakes from Djokovic. After breaking serve late in the deciding set, the Brazilian held his nerve when it mattered most.Serving for the match, Fonseca delivered three straight aces to finish one of the biggest wins of his young career.After the match, Djokovic gave full credit to his opponent.“The way he played, we all see why there is hype around him,” Djokovic said.“I don’t think I did too much wrong, he was just better. He played lights-out tennis every time there was a decisive moment.”Djokovic added: “He’s got talent, he’s got firepower, he’s got the whole Brazilian nation cheering him on. Hopefully he can be the next great thing and win Grand Slams.”Fonseca later admitted that even he struggled to believe he could pull off the comeback.“I actually didn’t,” the 19-year-old said when asked how he kept believing he could win after losing the opening two sets. The victory is another major step in Fonseca’s rise and a reminder that tennis may have found its next big star.