Paris. The series of upsets continues in the French Open 2026. World tennis legend and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic’s dream of winning a record 25th Grand Slam title was shattered on Friday, when he was eliminated from the tournament by 19-year-old Brazilian 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in a thrilling five-set match 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in the third round.
Fonseka created history by winning the match that lasted for about five hours. He became the first teenage player to defeat Djokovic in a Grand Slam match. With this victory, he has included himself among the big contenders for the future.
Djokovic’s defeat means the 39-year-old Serbian will still have to wait to surpass Margaret Court’s record of 25 Grand Slam titles. The result makes the title race in Paris even more open following the exit of world number one Yannick Sinner a day earlier.
After the match, an emotional Fonseca said, “To be honest, I did not believe that I could win this match. I just wanted to go on the court and enjoy the game. It is an honor for me to play against a great player like Djokovic. I am very happy.”
He further said, “I was trying to hit every ball with all my strength. Djokovic hardly makes any mistakes and even today his fitness is amazing. At the end of the match he looked fitter than me.”
Fonseka dedicated the historic win to his mother, who had a birthday on the same day and was present in the stands.
Djokovic’s dominance in the first two sets
Djokovic, who turned 39 just a week ago, made a great start to the match. He put pressure on his young opponent by winning five of the first six games in the first set. With the help of excellent lobs, powerful forehands and excellent drop shots, he won the first set.
Fonseca struggled in the second set as well, but after losing serve in the fifth game, Djokovic consolidated the lead and won the set and took a 2-0 lead in the match.
Fonseca’s tremendous comeback
Despite being two sets behind, Fonseca did not give up. In the third set, he came back aggressively and won a set.
The Brazilian player continued his brilliant performance in the fourth set also. He got the early break and continued playing aggressive shots to level the match at two sets each.
Djokovic took a 3-1 lead in the deciding fifth set, but Fonseca came back showing patience and confidence. After the tie at 5-5, he achieved an important break to take a lead of 6-5 and then won the match by hitting three consecutive aces.
Fonseca said smilingly,
“I couldn’t believe it that I ended up hitting three aces in a row. I’d never done that before. I felt like John Isner.”
New Grand Slam champion will be found for the first time
It is now certain to have a new men’s singles champion in the French Open 2026. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz missed the tournament with a wrist injury, while world number one Yannick Sinner and now Novak Djokovic are also out. Fonseca will now face the winner of the match between Tommy Paul and Casper Roode in the next round.
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