A day after top-ranked men’s player Jannik Sinner crashed at the 2026 French Open, another top-ranked player also suffered an early defeat. On Friday, Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat to Joao Fonseca in five sets.
The 39-year-old Djokovic appeared to be headed for an early victory as he won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4. But from there, Fonseca began to return to the game. Fonseca won the third set 6-3 and then won the fourth set 7-5.
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It was a hotly contested final set. Both players battled for victory until the match ended in a 5-5 tie. The next match was a close one, but Fonseca managed to pull off the win, taking a 6-5 lead and putting himself in prime position for an upset. Djokovic desperately tried to tie the score, but lost the final game 5-7, with Fonseca winning both the set and the match.
With the win, the 19-year-old Fonseca reached the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in his career. This is the most progress Fonseca has made in the past five Grand Slam tournaments he has competed in. He will face Casper Ruud on Sunday, who dispatched American Tommy Paul in five sets on Friday.
This is the first time since 2009 that Djokovic has failed to advance beyond the third round at Roland Garros. Since then, they have lost five times in the quarterfinals, four times in the semifinals, and lost four times in the final. He has also won this event three times.
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Despite Djokovic’s excellence, the French Open has proven to be his most difficult Grand Slam. His three wins are the lowest of all Grand Slam tournaments, and his 86 percent winning percentage starting Friday tied for the lowest of all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Early in his career, winning the French Open proved difficult. Djokovic had won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open by 2011, but it took him until 2016 to win the French Open and win the first Grand Slam of his career. In the four years leading up to this championship, Djokovic reached the final three times, but lost all three matches before finally breaking through.
This is the second major upset in the men’s division at the 2026 French Open. On Thursday, top-ranked Yannick Siner lost in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundro. Although Sinner got off to a strong start, a controversial spasm timeout ultimately led to his death. Sinner was able to return to play after a timeout, but the situation remained the same and he ultimately dropped the final three sets and lost the match.
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With Sinner and Djokovic absent, and Carlos Alcaraz out due to injury, the men’s spot was up for grabs. Sinner entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the men’s bracket. Djokovic became the third seed. Their losses, and the second-round exit of fifth-seeded Ben Shelton, left Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime as the only top-five seeds remaining on the men’s team.
