John McEnroe highlights ‘shocking’ decision made by Novak Djokovic after Roland Garros defeat
Novak Djokovic will have to wait for his elusive 25th Grand Slam after he was dumped out of Roland Garros at the hands of Joao Fonseca.
Djokovic took the first two sets against the talented Brazilian teenager, but he fell to shock defeat to end his campaign at the third round stage.
While Fonseca will now head into a tantalising fourth round match with Casper Ruud, Djokovic will have to wait until Wimbledon to try and win another major.
Djokovic issued a complaint during his match with Fonseca, but he remained typically magnanimous after the match, and refused to address his Roland Garros future.
John McEnroe, who was watching the match for TNT Sports, was stunned by a decision Djokovic made in the lead-up to his clash with Fonseca.
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“I’m surprised Novak, I don’t know if this is verified, but he requested a day match,” said McEnroe during TNT Sports’ coverage of Roland Garros.
“Which would seem to be surprising when you’re playing a kid half your age. Who’s hungry and wants to make a step up in his career and you’ve got to deal with that at 39, but he knows his body and mind better than I do that’s for sure, but it didn’t quite work out.
“That was pretty shocking. I’m still surprised he risked going out there in this heat! I know he’s fitter in the heat and deals with it better than Sinner, but that’s still funny to risk.”
Djokovic played his first round match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during the night session, but then reportedly opted to play in the day for his matches with Valentin Royer and Fonseca.
The heat has been a key factor at Roland Garros this year, with temperatures soaring to the mid-30s in Paris. Several players have struggled to deal with the heat, including Sinner, who was stunned in the second round by Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
Ironically for Djokovic, he was arguably better against Fonseca when the sun was out. When the court darkened was when Fonseca was able to battle his way into the match.
“I felt as the day was getting darker, it was a bit slower and for me that was better because I could produce a little bit more power for sure,” said the Brazilian during his on-court interview.
“In the beginning, I was struggling a little bit with the heat, because I touched the ball and it just [went]. Then after, I felt better.”
