Novak Djokovic has been vying to win his record 25th Grand Slam title, but over the last couple of years, either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner has been breaking that dream. In the 2026 French Open, though, he had a clear path to glory — Alcaraz was out due to his wrist injury, and Sinner was knocked out in the second round. Nothing could’ve stopped Djokovic on Friday night. Little did he know that his 19-year-old opponent, Joao Fonseca, had plans of his own.

The Brazilian turned the tennis world upside down as he came back from two sets down to win 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in four hours and 53 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier. With that, he became the youngest player ever to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam and effectively remove any champions from the entire field. But the outcome was almost a secondary effect. Those who watched the match unfold were more concerned with the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s health, including Chris Evert.

“I can’t believe what I’m watching,” Evert tweeted.

Djokovic had been defying age in the French Open this year, and that’s what he did against Fonseca as well, sweeping the first two sets easily. But as the match carried on, he was looking anything but his healthy self. Since last year, he has been suffering from nausea on the court. In Shanghai, he had to take a medical break as the humidity got to him. Conditions weren’t much different at Roland Garros.

Temperatures in Paris have been around 90 degrees Fahrenheit this week, and it showed as the Joker headed to the nearby trash can ahead of the fifth round and vomited.

Djokovic himself admitted to the medical problem publicly at his Australian Open press conference earlier this year, that he hasn’t been able to resolve, and that it does concern him. Over the past year or more, he has been seen burping on court, grabbing his stomach, and now, on the biggest clay court tournament in the world, vomiting at the start of a deciding set. 

He went on to lead 3-1 in the fifth before Fonseca reeled off six of the final eight games to complete the upset. It would be difficult to know if Djokovic’s physical condition contributed to how the fifth set concluded. 

It was the biggest win of Fonseca’s young career, a historic comeback against a player who had won 289 of the 290 Grand Slam matches in which he had taken a two-set lead. That statistic alone should have been the only story. However, what the people saw was a concern not just for Chris Evert but for the entire tennis world, and they did not stay quiet. 

Tennis reacts to Novak Djokovic’s health scare at Roland Garros

As Djokovic was walking away from Philippe-Chatrier, Jim Courier on the TNT wondered: “Will we see him back?… unlikely.”

This was not a throwaway comment. Djokovic has been struggling with his physical health for some time now. While he has been healthier than most, his age is finally catching up to him. At some point, even Courier understands, he will walk away from tennis to save himself.

On social media, a post that resonated widely captured the split between the sporting spectacle and the human concern behind it. 

“I like watching Novak Djokovic play tennis. I don’t like watching him suffer physically. Lately, he is frequently vomiting on court and grabbing his stomach and belching. I sincerely hope he prioritizes his health first and foremost and tries to find a solution for his physical problems,” one user wrote.

Another fan pitched in regarding his stomach issues and shared his observation. “Obviously some gastrointestinal issue that’s been going on for a while. Can’t remember when exactly it started, but it’s been well over a year now since he’s been seen burping on court and sometimes throwing up a bit.”

One user simply blamed the age for the Serbian’s condition: “Find a solution to aging? Good luck.” A reply to that post pushed back on the framing: “That’s not aging. He even said during his Australian Open final press conference that it’s a health issue he hasn’t been able to solve and that it worries him.”

Djokovic is 39 years old, but it can’t just be the story of how long he can play. He has done this publicly, and the fact that it has now followed him into a fifth set at Roland Garros with a Grand Slam title up for grabs. Hence, it is all the more difficult to turn a blind eye. 

Whether he returns to Paris is now a question the sport is sitting with. But for now, he will shift his focus to grass and most likely be playing at Wimbledon next month.