Novak Djokovic revealed he does not know if he will return to play at the French Open in 2027, after the 24-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in the third round on Friday.
Djokovic suffered a 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-5 defeat to the world No 30, making this the 39-year-old’s worst finish at a Grand Slam since the US Open in 2024.
When asked by a reporter if he would be returning for next year’s tournament, the three-time French Open champion responded, saying: “I don’t know.”
Asked whether he would be happy to end his career at the French Open following today’s loss, he replied: “I don’t know.”
“Tough to reflect on this right now, if you all would understand me,” he later added when asked about his legacy at Roland Garros.
“But at the same time, there were a couple of times where I felt like I was barely standing on my legs towards the end of the match, and looking at the crowd and seeing them lift my spirits and support me was something really magical, honestly.
“So when I take out all the disappointment and negative thoughts about the match, you know, there’s a lot to be proud about, what I’ve been through, what I experienced, you know. I’m very grateful for this kind of experience, yeah.”
Djokovic has previously insisted that he has no intention to retire while he’s still motivated to keep competing, telling reporters at Indian Wells: “Why stop as long as I still have the fire, the flair, the quality and the motivation?”
However, the world No 4 has previously hinted that he could look to hang up his racket after the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
His last Grand Slam title came at the US Open in 2023, with Djokovic, who has the third-most career wins in the history of the ATP Tour, 101, narrowly missing out on claiming his elusive 25th Slam title to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon in 2024 and at this year’s Australian Open.
On Friday, Djokovic was also asked whether his “mind had begun to think about the rest of the tournament” after world No 1 Jannik Sinner was knocked out by Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Alcaraz had withdrawn before the Grand Slam through injury.
The Serbian shut down the question immediately, saying: “I don’t care. I don’t care. I’ll stop you right there. No. Just lost the third round. Let’s just talk about something else. Thank you.”
Djokovic advanced to the third round by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round, before besting Valentin Royer over four sets.
“The amount of hours I’ve played in three matches here felt like I played every tournament in the last three months, to be honest,” he said.
“I think I was playing good tennis, really good level. Considering I was injured for three months and trying to come back and then, you know, going pretty much straight into Grand Slam on this surface that is very demanding and, for me, takes more time to get used to, to kind of find my groove.
“You know, taking everything into consideration and all the circumstances, I think the level was really good. I mean, I was happy with my level.”
