Novak Djokovic stunned by 19-year-old sensation to blow French Open wide open
Novak Djokovic suffered his first ever grand slam defeat by a teenager as he was beaten in the third round at Roland Garros by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca.
Fonseca lost the first two sets on a sweltering Philippe Chatrier but became only the second man in history to come back from such a deficit against Djokovic, sealing victory in five sets after nearly five hours.
The Serb had been chasing a record-breaking 25th grand slam title while Fonseca is playing the French Open for only the second time, and was beaten at this same stage last year.
But the tournament had been torn wide open by Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal in the build-up and Jannik Sinner’s shock defeat on Thursday. The draw was still feeling aftershocks from that result, only for the very foundations of Roland Garros to be shaken by Fonseca.
Roared on by a crowd punctuated by golden shirts of Brazil, the teenage phenom triumphed 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, a result that will go down in the tennis annals, perhaps as the moment a superstar was born.
More to follow…
