Novak Djokovic Knocked Out! Joao Fonesca's Shock Win Ends Serbian's Stunning Streak; Sparks 67-Year-Old First

Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the 2026 French Open in the third round on Friday (May 29) by Brazilian teen prodigy Joao Fonesca at the Court Philippe Chatrier at the iconic Stade Roland Garros in a five-set thriller that lasted four hours and 53 minutes. The Serbian looked set to continue his run towards an unprecedented 25th major title by winning the first two sets, 6-4, 6-4, before the 28th seed made a strong comeback to level the game by winning the next three sets, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, in a marathon clash.

The result means there are no Grand Slam champions remaining in the draw, and a first-time men's singles winner will be crowned on June 7th. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was knocked out on Thursday (May 28) by unseeded Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, and Daniil Medvedev were knocked out in the first round of the competition while Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the competition due to an injury.

A 67-Year-Old First

This is the first time in the Open Era (since 1968) that no former champion will be part of the men's singles at a Grand Slam. The last instance of this happening in a major was in 1959 at the Australian Open, where there was no ex-champion part of the entire draw. The last Roland Garros without any former champion in the Round of 32 was in 1946.

Djokovic's Stunning Streak Ends

This marks only the second instance in Djokovic's career that he has lost a five-set match after winning the first two sets. Overall, the Serb has played 303 matches (best of five sets) in which he was 2-0 up, and he has lost only two matches (including today). The only other defeat was in 2010 at Roland Garros when he lost the quarterfinals to Jurgen Melzer. Out of 303, the 291 games have been played at Slams.

This is also the first instance of Djokovic losing at a major event to a teenager. Prior to today, he held a 18-0 record against players that are yet to celebrate their 20th birthday at Grand Slams. Previously, Rafael Nadal (20 years, 4 days at the 2006 French Open QF) was the youngest player to beat him at a major.

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