Joao Fonseca Has Created More Chaos At The French Open

Three drop shots, three aces—that's a sequence that I'll never forget. Nineteen-year-old Joao Fonseca wrapped up his upset of Novak Djokovic in scandalous style. Friday's third-round match at Roland-Garros had the gravity of a classic final: the shot-making, the comeback from two sets down, the nearly five-hour span, and especially the intergenerational warfare, as the youth brought revolutionary firepower to bear on a historically great elder. Djokovic will never see a clearer path to major title No. 25. He had been advancing through a wide-open draw devoid of the two junior nemeses who finally managed to wrench the sport out of his hands: Carlos Alcaraz, out with injury, and Jannik Sinner, downed by cramps in the second round. Instead Djokovic was taken down early by a colossal talent from an even younger cohort. His perfect 18-0 record when playing teenage opponents at the majors ended when Fonseca polished off a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory. It was only the second time in Djokovic's career that he had lost a match from two sets up. Tennis arguably reveals an individual's composure under pressure with even higher fidelity than do team sports, because of the magic of shot selection. Every time a player sees the ball coming at him, only he can choose a reply. The bravery (or cowardice) of that choice will come to define him, both in that particular match and general reputation. Simply flip to Zverev, Alexander for the cautionary tale here. Fonseca was already known for his tendency to go big, and we'll never need more conclusive proof than his performance in the tensest moments of this match, played against a 39-year-old whose own mind has been tempered like steel over the last two decades, and who clearly delights in unraveling less experienced opponents.