'I don't know': The answer that overshadowed Novak Djokovic's French Open exit

Novak Djokovic may not return to the French Open next year after his five-set defeat to Joao Fonseca at the Roland Garros on Friday. Djokovic lost to the Brazilian teenager despite leading after the first two sets. The final scoreline was 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in Fonseca's favour in the third round.

With Jannik Sinner losing on Thursday and Carlos Alcaraz being out due to injury, Djokovic had a golden opportunity to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam, but that golden chance has now gone up in smoke.

Djokovic's defeat also means a new first-time men’s Grand Slam champion will be crowned in Paris.

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No French Open for Djokovic anymore?

After his defeat, Djokovic refused to clarify whether he would be returning to the French Open next year.

"I don't know," said Djokovic when asked the same question.

When asked if he's ready to end his career at the French Open after losing to Fonseca, Djokovic said: "I don't know."

"Tough to reflect on this right now, if you all would understand me," he then added while talking 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 in past indicated that he would love to continue playing till the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But fitness is soon becoming an issue for the 39-year-old, who last won a Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023. And even though he has been reaching the semi-finals and the final at majors, Djokovic has found it tough to turn things around in five sets.

But he was still happy with how he played at the French Open despite his early elimination.

"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."

Djokovic praises Fonseca

Djokovic also praised Fonseca, who is being seen as the next big tennis star.

"I congratulated him and told him that he deserved to win and played an unbelievable match, and he should be proud of himself and wished him good luck for the rest of the tournament," Djokovic said.

"The kind of level of tennis we've seen him play created a lot of hype around him, and I think we have all seen today why there is hype around him. So, yeah, just the level was amazing."