JAKARTA - Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the third round of the 2026 Roland Garros tennis tournament. He left the tournament after going through one of the best matches so far in the competition against young player Joao Fonseca. Fonseca, who is only 19 years old, was forced to come back from a two-set deficit to win the match with a score of 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 at the Philippe-Chatrier Court, Roland Garros, Paris, France, on Friday, May 29, 2026 local time. "Actually I can't believe I won. I just played and enjoyed the moment on the court. It felt amazing," the Brazilian said in an interview after the victory, quoted from the ATP official website. Djokovic is one of two strong seeded players for the champion who was eliminated in Paris in two consecutive days. A day earlier, top seed Jannik Sinner surprisingly swallowed defeat against Juan Manuel Cerundolo from Argentina. Fonseca also created a sensation to eliminate Djokovic in a match that lasted four hours and 53 minutes. The defeat experienced by Djokovic and Sinner automatically makes the competition for the title more open. "He [Novak Djokovic] is our idol. It's an honor to be on the court against him. This is the first time I've played against him. So, I thank him and I'm very happy," said Fonseca.
Fonseca was actually only five points away from defeat when he was 3-4 behind and faced a 15/40 score on his serve in the fourth set. However, the 28th seed managed to save both break points and eventually forced the match to continue to the deciding set. On the other hand, Djokovic several times seemed to have physical problems between points. However, the 39-year-old who has collected 24 Grand Slam titles was still able to open the fifth set well and quickly took a 3-1 lead. However, Fonseca was able to bounce back and win six of the last eight games to achieve a brilliant victory. This is his second victory over an opponent from the top 10 after defeating Andrey Rublev at the 2025 Australian Open.
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