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As Novak Djokovic limped back to his chair four hours into a tennis match that had descended into hell, the 24-times grand slam winner did not have much more to give. A two-set lead had unravelled and his 39-year-old body had hit a wall against a shining opponent 20 years his junior. Having reached the umpire’s chair, Djokovic vomited into the red dust.
Still, nobody has mastered the art of finding victory from a miserable position quite like Djokovic, so everybody inside Court Philippe-Chatrier knew he could conjure a path through. It took the most courageous, headstrong performance from Joao Fonseca to refuse his legendary opponent a way back. The 19-year-old Brazilian held on for a career-defining victory, closing out an astounding 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 win after 4hr 53min.
While Fonseca is still a teenager this victory was a long time coming considering his talent and the attention that has been on him. Fonseca was asked about the self-belief that underscored the victory during his on-court interview. “I just played,” he said. “I just enjoyed being on court. What a pleasure it was.”
For Djokovic, this is just the second time he has lost from two sets up, the other occasion coming in a 2010 French Open quarter-final against Jürgen Melzer.
Djokovic had started impressively, breaking Fonseca in the Brazilian’s opening service game. For two sets, he served well, dictated from the baseline with his forehand, and exposed Fonseca’s average movement. He established a two-set lead.
Fonseca has received more hype than any other young player in recent years, the attention driven by his nuclear forehand and the passionate, ever-present Brazilian fanbase desperate to crown a new champion. At Roland Garros, the tournament previously commanded by the three-times champion Gustavo Kuerten, that emotion is felt more fervently. Brazil shirts were visible as far as the eyes could see.
Having been thoroughly outplayed for two sets, Fonseca showed his toughness. He served precisely, obliterating his forehand and wrestling control of the baseline from Djokovic for the first time. Fonseca was also incredibly bold in the key moments as he clawed his way back into the match.
Suddenly, this was a physical, bruising and high-quality dogfight. Fonseca refused to stop swinging. He found supreme second serves in key points and pulverised his forehand throughout the third and fourth sets.
While the court was covered in shade as evening fell, the conditions were uncomfortably humid. With every nuclear forehand Djokovic was charged with tracking down, the Serb’s energy levels further depleted. Despite forcing Fonseca to fight hard for every successful point, Djokovic was clearly in trouble by the start of the final set.
He let Fonseca’s most violent groundstrokes pass him by without chase, continually limping between points. He laughed repeatedly to his team in recognition of the absurd situation he found himself in and he sat down in the courtside flower beds between games. Still, he continued to fight.
It was Djokovic who first broke through in set five, wrestling his way to a 3-1 lead. But Fonseca remained calm and focused. Along with his serve, he continued to think clearly, drawing upon his touch and court sense. At 5-5 in the final set, with everything on the line, Fonseca smothered Djokovic with an array of perfectly measured drop shots to snatch the decisive break.
Fonseca found himself down a break point in the final game, one last obstacle to overcome. He responded with three consecutive aces to close out the match of his life.
English (US)