It is the kind of match that French Open mythology is built upon. João Fonseca, a 19-year-old Brazilian who had until recently been regarded as a generational talent yet to be fully tested, defeated Novak Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in a contest that lasted nearly five hours and appeared, for long stretches, to be heading in an entirely different direction. Djokovic, who holds 24 grand slam titles and has mastered the art of recovery more thoroughly than perhaps any player in the sport's history, was visibly struggling by the match's latter stages. Having built a two-set lead, the 39-year-old Serb appeared unable to sustain the level required to close out an increasingly dangerous opponent, and was seen vomiting into the clay near the umpire's chair — an image that seemed to encapsulate the physical toll that the tournament's gruelling surface had exacted.

It is only the second time in his career that Djokovic has surrendered a two-set advantage, the previous occasion having occurred at the same event in 2010. Fonseca, for his part, is thought to have produced a performance that transcended what might reasonably have been expected at this stage of his development. He has spoken with characteristic understatement about the victory, saying simply that he enjoyed being on court. Djokovic was rather more expansive in his assessment, acknowledging that his opponent had been the superior player in the moments that mattered most.