<p>Veteran tennis star Novak Djokovic's hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title continued as he went down 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-5 to teen sensation Joao Fonseca in the third round of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/french%20open">French Open </a>on Friday. </p><p>The Serbian great's wait to cross Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slam win continues in the back-end of his illustrious career. <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/novak%20djokovic">Djokovic's </a>defeat came only a day after World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's shock exit. </p><p>The 19-year-old Fonseca became the first teenager to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam encounter as he now gives himself a chance to clinch his maiden major title, while Roland Garros is assured a first time winner in the Men's Singles category with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz skipping the tournament due to a wrist injury.</p><p>The gruelling five-set encounter, that saw Fonseca bounce back from being two sets down, lasted four hours and 53 minutes. </p>.French Open 2026 | Jannik Sinner stunned by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in second-round Paris shocker.<p>"I actually didn't believe I could win the match, I just played and enjoyed being on the court. What an idol we have and what a pleasure it was to step on the court against him, so I thank him. I'm very happy," Fonseca said following a stunning come-from-behind victory. </p><p>"I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could, I mean Djokovic doesn't miss and we still think he's 20. At the end of the match he was more fit than me, which is crazy and when the day was getting darker I felt much slower. In the beginning I was struggling with the heat and not feeling good."</p><p>Djokovic had a strong start to the match, clinching five of the opening six games comfortably. With some of his powerful forehands and clever drop shots, the 39-year-old seemed to be teaching his younger opponent the art of playing on clay. </p><p>However, Fonseca made a strong comeback in the second set, going neck-in-neck, only to drop his serve in the fifth game. The opening for the third seed meant he went up 5-3 before closing out the set aggressively. </p><p>The Brazillian made a thunderous comeback to level two sets all with some fiery play that left even Djokovic in disbelief. In the deciding final set, Fonseca came back from being 1-3 down to stay level after 10 games and then break for a 6-5 lead, which gave him the platform to close out a brilliant victory with three straight aces.</p><p>"I just believed that I could do the aces, it was crazy," Fonseca said. "I have never done that before. I'm super happy that I could finish like this.</p><p>Fonseca will take on Casper Ruud on Sunday, who also came from the back to clinch three straight sets against Tommy Paul in the third round. </p><p><em>(With agency inputs)</em></p>
<p>Veteran tennis star Novak Djokovic's hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title continued as he went down 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-5 to teen sensation Joao Fonseca in the third round of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/french%20open">French Open </a>on Friday. </p><p>The Serbian great's wait to cross Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slam win continues in the back-end of his illustrious career. <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/novak%20djokovic">Djokovic's </a>defeat came only a day after World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's shock exit. </p><p>The 19-year-old Fonseca became the first teenager to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam encounter as he now gives himself a chance to clinch his maiden major title, while Roland Garros is assured a first time winner in the Men's Singles category with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz skipping the tournament due to a wrist injury.</p><p>The gruelling five-set encounter, that saw Fonseca bounce back from being two sets down, lasted four hours and 53 minutes. </p>.French Open 2026 | Jannik Sinner stunned by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in second-round Paris shocker.<p>"I actually didn't believe I could win the match, I just played and enjoyed being on the court. What an idol we have and what a pleasure it was to step on the court against him, so I thank him. I'm very happy," Fonseca said following a stunning come-from-behind victory. </p><p>"I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could, I mean Djokovic doesn't miss and we still think he's 20. At the end of the match he was more fit than me, which is crazy and when the day was getting darker I felt much slower. In the beginning I was struggling with the heat and not feeling good."</p><p>Djokovic had a strong start to the match, clinching five of the opening six games comfortably. With some of his powerful forehands and clever drop shots, the 39-year-old seemed to be teaching his younger opponent the art of playing on clay. </p><p>However, Fonseca made a strong comeback in the second set, going neck-in-neck, only to drop his serve in the fifth game. The opening for the third seed meant he went up 5-3 before closing out the set aggressively. </p><p>The Brazillian made a thunderous comeback to level two sets all with some fiery play that left even Djokovic in disbelief. In the deciding final set, Fonseca came back from being 1-3 down to stay level after 10 games and then break for a 6-5 lead, which gave him the platform to close out a brilliant victory with three straight aces.</p><p>"I just believed that I could do the aces, it was crazy," Fonseca said. "I have never done that before. I'm super happy that I could finish like this.</p><p>Fonseca will take on Casper Ruud on Sunday, who also came from the back to clinch three straight sets against Tommy Paul in the third round. </p><p><em>(With agency inputs)</em></p>
