Novak Djokovic sends message to Joao Fonseca on social media after Roland Garros defeat
Novak Djokovic’s time at Roland Garros came to a stuttering halt as he was defeated by Joao Fonseca in a thrilling third round match at Roland Garros.
Djokovic looked set to confirm his place in the fourth round of the event by taking a two set lead, but the Brazilian teenager had other ideas.
Fonseca fought back to win a five-set classic and end Djokovic’s chances of winning Roland Garros in the most wide open year for decades.
Despite his difficult defeat, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has remained classy. Djokovic sent a heartwarming message to Fonseca at the net and he’s followed it up with a social media post.
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On X, the Serbian icon wrote: “An epic battle, Joao. And a hard-fought victory you deserve. Best of luck for the rest of the tournament and the incredible career you have ahead of you. As for Paris… tu as mon coeur.”
Fonseca’s thrilling comeback from two sets down marks just the second time Djokovic has lost from that position at Roland Garros.
You have to go all the way back to 2010 when Djokovic last lost a two set lead at the French Grand Slam.
That came against Jurgen Melzer in the quarter-finals of the 2010 competition, when Djokovic was the third seed at the event. He took the first two sets 6-3, 6-2, but he was not able to capitalise on his lead.
Djokovic was typically classy with his message to Melzer, much like he was to Fonseca 16 years later.
“I want to congratulate him first. I think he played really well in the last three sets but I made a big mistake,” said Djokovic in his post-match interview.
“I made him come back into the match with my unforced errors and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well, especially on his service games.
“I’m very disappointed, obviously, to lose the match that I was in control of totally a set and a break. This is tennis, you know. This is Grand Slams. You always have to play up to the end because these things happen, especially at this stage of tournament.”
Djokovic’s next event now will likely be Wimbledon, where he will continue his quest for that ever elusive 25th Grand Slam title.
Many believe Djokovic has his best chance of claiming a major at the grass court Grand Slam, including tennis legend Boris Becker.
Speaking for TNT Sports during live coverage of Roland Garros after his loss to Fonseca, Becker said: “That’s [Wimbledon] his next big goal and, after his performances this week, he has every chance of winning the title there.”
