Novak Djokovic’s defeat to Joao Fonseca at the Roland Garros on Friday means there will be a new first-time men’s Grand Slam champion at French Open this year. Djokovic lost to the Brazilian teenager 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 despite leading after the first two sets.
With Jannik Sinner losing on Thursday and Carlos Alcaraz not playing this year due to injury, Djokovic had a great chance to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam.
After the defeat when asked if he would be returning to Roland Garros next year, Djokovic did not confirm anything.
“I don’t know,” said Djokovic when asked the same question.
When asked if he’s ready to end his career at the French Open after losing to Fonseca, Djokovic said: “I don’t know.”
“Tough to reflect on this right now, if you all would understand me,” he said.
“But at the same time, there were a couple of times where I felt like I was barely standing on my legs towards the end of the match, and looking at the crowd and seeing them lift my spirits and support me was something really magical, honestly.
“So when I take out all the disappointment and negative thoughts about the match, you know, there’s a lot to be proud about, what I’ve been through, what I experienced, you know. I’m very grateful for this kind of experience, yeah,” he added.
Djokovic had previously said that he would like to keep playing until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, fitness is becoming a growing challenge for the 39-year-old, whose last Grand Slam title came at the 2023 US Open. However, he has continued to make deep runs at major tournaments, reaching semi-finals and finals, he has struggled to get over the line in long five-set matches.
Despite his early exit from the French Open, Djokovic said he was pleased with the way he played during the tournament.
“The amount of hours I’ve played in three matches here felt like I played every tournament in the last three months, to be honest,” he said.
“I think I was playing good tennis, really good level. Considering I was injured for three months and trying to come back and then, you know, going pretty much straight into Grand Slam on this surface that is very demanding and, for me, takes more time to get used to, to kind of find my groove.
“You know, taking everything into consideration and all the circumstances, I think the level was really good. I mean, I was happy with my level.”
Djokovic also praised Fonseca, who is being seen as the next big tennis star.
“I congratulated him and told him that he deserved to win and played an unbelievable match, and he should be proud of himself and wished him good luck for the rest of the tournament,” Djokovic said.
“The kind of level of tennis we’ve seen him play created a lot of hype around him, and I think we have all seen today why there is hype around him. So, yeah, just the level was amazing.”
