Veteran tennis star Novak Djokovic’s hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title continued as he went down 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-5 to teenage sensation Joao Fonseca in the third round of French Open on friday.
The Serbian great’s quest to surpass Margaret Court’s 24th Grand Slam win continues at the tail end of his illustrious career. of Djokovic the defeat came just one day after the shock exit of world number 1 Jannik Sinner.
19-year-old Fonseca became the first teenager to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam clash as he now gives himself a chance to win a first major title, while Roland Garros secured its first men’s winner with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with a wrist injury.
The grueling five-set encounter, which saw Fonseca come back from two sets down, lasted four hours and 53 minutes.
“I actually didn’t believe I could win the game, I just played and enjoyed being on the pitch. What an idol we have and what a pleasure it was to step on the pitch against him, so I thank him. I’m very happy,” said Fonseca after a stunning come-from-behind victory.
“I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could, I mean Djokovic doesn’t lose and we still think he’s 20 years old. At the end of the match he was better than me, which is crazy and as the day got darker I felt a lot slower. At first I was struggling with the heat and I didn’t feel good.”
Djokovic had a strong start to the match, comfortably closing out five of the first six games. With some of his powerful forehands and clever groundstrokes, the 39-year-old seemed to be teaching his younger opponent the art of playing on clay.
However, Fonseca made a strong comeback in the second set, going neck-to-neck, only to drop his serve in the fifth game. The opening for the third seed meant he went 5-3 up before closing out the set aggressively.
The Brazilian made a roaring comeback in the second tier, all with a fiery game that left even Djokovic in disbelief. In the deciding final set, Fonseca came back from 1-3 down to level after 10 games and then broke for a 6-5 lead, which gave him the platform to close out a brilliant victory with three straight aces.
I just believed I could make an ace, it was crazy,” Fonseca said. “I’ve never done that before. I’m very happy to be able to finish like this.
Fonseca will face Casper Ruud on Sunday, who also came from behind to make it three straight sets against Tommy Paul in the third round.
(With agency data)
