Joao Fonseca surprises at Roland Garros: Defeats Djokovic in an epic match
Brazilian tennis player Joao Fonseca has pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 Roland Garros, defeating Serbian Novak Djokovic this Friday in a match that will be remembered by fans. Fonseca, at just 19 years old, became the youngest player to beat the legendary Serbian tennis player in a Grand Slam tournament. Fonseca, currently ranked number 30 in the world, managed to come back from two sets down to win with scores of 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and 7-5, after almost five hours of intense battle on the Philippe Chatrier court. With this victory, the young Brazilian advances to the round of 16 of the French Open, where he will face the winner of the match between the American Tommy Paul and the Norwegian Casper Ruud. Djokovic’s defeat, at 39 years old and winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, also marked an unusual event in his career. He hadn’t been eliminated so early in Roland Garros since 2009. Furthermore, it’s only the second time he’s lost a Grand Slam match after winning the first two sets. The match was played in high temperatures and with a crowd mostly in favor of Fonseca, with thousands of Brazilian fans cheering on the young tennis player. Djokovic dominated the first two sets thanks to his experience, but Fonseca raised his level and began to show an aggressive forehand, gaining confidence in each exchange. In the third set, Fonseca broke the Serbian’s serve, fueled by the energy of the crowd. In the fourth set, he saved two match points and managed to equalize the match by winning 7-5. In the final set, Fonseca came back after being down 1-3, taking advantage of Djokovic’s physical fatigue to break his serve in the eleventh game and seal the historic victory.The elimination of Djokovic, along with that of Jannik Sinner, leaves the men’s draw of Roland Garros without active Grand Slam champions, ensuring a new winner.“All the credit to Joao. He played better than me in the important moments of the fourth and fifth sets,” expressed the Serbian in a press conference.
Novak Djokovic
