Novak Djokovic endured a shocking defeat in the third round of the French Open 2026. The Serbian legend, chasing his 25th Grand Slam, was knocked out of Roland Garros by a Joao Fonseca, who put on an ethralling show in the five-set thriller.

The gruelling contest lasted almost five hours, with Fonseca qualifying for the French Open fourth round for the first time in his career, registering a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 win. Despite going two sets down, Fonseca showed his mettle and made a breathtaking comeback to shatter Djokovic's Roland Garros dream.

Who is Joao Fonseca?

Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian tennis player has been enjoying his dream campaign at the French Open this year. The 19-year-old Fonseca is currently 24th in the ATP rankings. He developed a passion for tennis at an early age, having been born only 10 minutes away from the official venue of the Rio Open.

In 2024, when Rafael Nadal won in Rio de Janeiro, Fonseca was present in the crowd. He also has a photo with former World No. 21 Thomaz Bellucci. Fonseca featured at the Nitto ATP Finals as a hitting partner for the best players in 2023. He has shared the court with some of the best of this generation, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev. Fonseca has learnt from Brazilian legend Gustavo Kuerten since their first meeting at the 2024 Davis Cup.

Joao Fonseca's Girlfriend

Joao Fonseca has been in a long-term relationship with Manu Noronha. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Noronha studies Marketing at the prestigious Fundação Getulio Vargas while also working as a model. Noronha and Fonseca were classmates at the American School in Rio before picking different career paths. Fonseca's girlfriend generally likes to keep a low public profile despite his growing fame.

Joao Fonseca's Net Worth

The youngster has never publicly disclosed his earnings or net worth. However, he is expected to earn more than $2.5 million as prize money this year after his memorable campaign across all competitions, including the French Open.

Joao Fonseca Career

Joao Fonseca has seen a rapid rise in professional tennis. He broke into the ATP Top 100 within 16 months of becoming the world junior No. 1 and claiming the US Open boys' singles title. Last year, he won the Buenos Aires title at the age of 18 to become the youngest Brazilian ATP champion of the Open Era. He got the better of Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open before securing the Basel title, which helped him reach the career-high ranking of No. 24. Another highlight of Fonseca's career was the Next Gen ATP Finals, where he triumphed unbeaten.