2026 French Open

Djokovic loses after leading 2-0 in sets!

Novak Djokovic, who was severely affected by the heat, has been eliminated from the 2026 French Open...(Bild: AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF)

Record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the third round of the French Open in a high-quality match! After 4 hours and 53 minutes, 28th-seeded Joao Fonseca defeated the Serbian in their first-ever meeting, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5. It was only the second time in 281 matches that Djokovic lost after leading by two sets. The only other time was in the 2010 French Open quarterfinals, when Lower Austrian Jürgen Melzer claimed the victory.

Now, another attempt by Djokovic to claim his 25th major title has ended unusually early. With such a triumph, the 39-year-old would become the sole record-holder across all genders. The chances of that seemed particularly high this time, as Australian Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was absent due to injury and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner had also been eliminated in five sets the day before against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo. But the 19-year-old Fonseca had other plans against his idol.

Djokovic was just two points away from victory
Yet everything seemed to be heading toward a straight-sets victory for the veteran champion. “At the start, the heat was getting to me,” Fonseca explained in his post-match interview. And even at the end, he said he saw “Djoker”—20 years his senior—as being in better shape than himself. But the Brazilian fought his way back into the match on his mother’s birthday. Djokovic was just two points away from winning the match in the fourth set, but Fonseca managed to force a decisive set—thanks to numerous line drives and some very powerful shots.

Djokovic was already leading 3-1 with a break, but Fonseca evened the score and, from then on, raised the already high level of play even further alongside his opponent. “I just enjoyed being on the court against my idol for the first time,” said the South American. “I’m very happy. I just tried to hit the ball as hard as I could.” In the final game, the South American faced a break point but closed out the match with three aces in a row. “I’m super happy that I was able to finish it that way,” Fonseca said.

One thing is certain: there will definitely be a new Grand Slam champion, as none of the previous titleholders are still in the tournament. Fonseca will now face Norway’s Casper Ruud (No. 15), who defeated American Tommy Paul (24) 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), and 7-5 after 4 hours and 43 minutes.

De Minaur and Khachanov also out
Alex deMinaurbecame another top-ten player to bow out early; the Australian lost to Czech Jakub Mensik (26) 6-0, 2-6, 2-6, 3-6 after a flawless first set. And Karen Khachanov (13) also fell to an underdog, namely the Dutchman Jesper de Jong, in five sets. However, with Andrey Rublev, one Russian did make it to the round of 16. The Spaniards Pablo Carreño Busta and Rafael Jodar (27) qualified for a direct round-of-16 matchup.