Who is Joao Fonseca? Meet 19-year-old that knocked tennis legend Novak Djokovic out of French Open

First, it was Carlos Alcaraz who chose not to compete. Then, it was Jannik Sinner who was defeated in a second-round upset. And if that wasn't enough, tennis legend and world No. 4 Novak Djokovic is also out of the French Open.

The man behind this Djokovic upset? A Brazilian teenager who turned pro just over two years ago. Meet Joao Fonseca. 

Fonseca had an offer from the University of Virginia, but chose to go pro instead in 2024. He was just 17 at the time, and has now taken down a tennis legend at 19. 

Who is Joao Fonseca?

Joao Fonseca is a 19-year-old Brazilian tennis pro, who entered this year's French Open ranked No. 30 in the world by ATP. He is also currently the highest-ranking Brazilian tennis player on the Singles circuit. 

This marks the first time that Fonseca has made it past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. He previously made the third round twice, during Wimbledon and the French Open, both in 2025. 

Most recently, he has garnered international recognition for beating Novak Djokovic in the third round of the 2026 French Open. This match went the full five sets, with Djokovic winning the first two 6-4 before Fonseca stormed back. 

Joao Fonseca-Novak Djokovic result

Fonseca and Djokovic went to the full five sets in this third-round matchup with Fonseca completing his second consecutive reverse sweep. 

Djokovic won the first two sets, each by a score of six games to four. Fonseca took a dominant 6-3 victory in the third set with sets four and five going to a deuce after tying at  wifive. Fonseca took each of these final sets by a score of 7-5.

The set maintained a back-and-forth rhythm throughout, with neither player winning more than nine points or three games in a row.