French Open: Joao Fonseca delivers Novak Djokovic win as perfect birthday gift for mom
Joao Fonseca came from two sets down to beat Novak Djokovic at the French Open on his mother's birthday. The win sent the 19-year-old into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Joao Fonseca couldn't have delivered a more perfect birthday gift for his mother as he defeated Novak Djokovic in an epic five-setter at the French Open 2026. Down by two sets at one point, Fonseca was able to stun the former World No.1 and win the match 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 and book a place in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
An ecstatic Fonseca shared his emotions after the biggest win of his career and decided to pay tribute to his mom, who was present in the crowd and egging him on through each point.
"First, I need to make my mom's day. Happy birthday mom, thank you very much," said Fonseca.
Over the course of the game, the Brazilian supporters started to make their voices felt and proved to be the extra motivation that Fonseca needed to pull off the upset.
The 19-year-old took time to pay tribute to them and urged them to be with him during his Roland Garros journey.
"Thank you all the Brazilian crowd. Thank you, Brazil! We keep moving forward, we believed, and now we're in the fourth round. Let's go all in from here. Thank you!" said Fonseca.
FONSECA PAYS TRIBUTE TO DJOKOVIC
Fonseca used his brute force to go past Djokovic, hitting 11 aces in the match. The Brazilian said that his aim was to hit the ball as hard as he could but was stunned by the class of the Serbian.
“I was not thinking about [the conditions changing],” Fonseca said. “I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. I mean Djokovic, he just doesn’t miss. We still think he’s 20. At the end of the match I think he was more fit than me, it’s crazy."
“But I felt as the day was getting darker, it was a bit slower and for me that was better because I could produce a little bit more power for sure. In the beginning, I was struggling a little bit with the heat, because I touched the ball and it just [went]. Then after, I felt better,” said Fonseca.
The Brazilian will be facing Casper Ruud or Tommy Paul in the next round.