Just two weeks into the Grand Slam on Court Philippe-Chatrier, it saw another one of the most historic upsets in the tournament’s history. In a third-round match that stretched for 4 hours and 53 minutes, 19-year-old Brazilian sensation João Fonseca engineered a miraculous comeback from two sets down to defeat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. This made Fonseca the youngest person in history to defeat the Serbian icon at a major event.
However, there have been narratives about Djokovic’s age, and former pro and tennis analyst Andy Roddick weighed in.
Andy Roddick Shuts Down ‘Laziest Narrative’ After Joao Fonseca’s French Open Upset
Fonseca was staring down the barrel of defeat midway through the fourth set, and he was just five points away from elimination. But the teenager saved both break points, broke Djokovic’s serve, and pushed the match to a decider. Even in the fifth set, Djokovic surged to a 3-1 lead, but Fonseca stood his ground, winning six of the final eight games.
When a 39-year-old veteran loses a five-set marathon to a 19-year-old, the public often blames the veteran’s age, implying the defeat was easy. And former world No. 1 Roddick took to his podcast to fire back against it.
“Look at the stats for Novak: he got 71% of his first serves in, and by the way, he’s one of the best in the world at defending his second serve. Think about that. He had 70 winners and 39 unforced errors, and he lost. It was just a great match. Novak did absolutely zero to beat himself.
“I know the laziest narrative out there is going to be ‘the young guy beats the guy who’s fading.’ And listen, you have to fade eventually; time is undefeated. But this match didn’t feel like that,” Roddick explained on his “Served” podcast.
It’s not the case that Djokovic didn’t execute the game plan well; Fonseca simply leveled up. As Djokovic himself admitted in the press conference, “He just found incredible shots, lines… I don’t think I did too much wrong, he was just better.”
After the match, Fonseca was all praise for the Serb.
During the on-court interview, Fonseca said, “I mean, what an idol we have. It’s a pleasure just stepping on the court against him, and it’s my first time stepping on the court against him. So just thanking him, and yeah, just very happy. I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. I mean, Djokovic is… You just don’t make it. We still think he’s 20, so.”
At 39, Father Time is still an intimidating opponent. Djokovic has been seeking an elusive 25th Grand Slam title to permanently separate himself from Margaret Court and stand alone in tennis history.
Meanwhile, this victory might have felt like it came out of nowhere to casual fans, but Fonseca has been building toward this moment all year.
Ranked No. 30 in the world (with a career-high of No. 24 late last year), Fonseca became the youngest South American champion on the ATP tour when he won the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires in 2025. He has consistently put together deep runs this season, reaching the Round of 16 at Indian Wells and the quarterfinals in Munich.
Next up, it’s the Round of 16 (Fourth Round) on Sunday. Waiting for him is the 15th seed, Casper Ruud, a two-time Roland-Garros finalist.
