Novak Djokovic Snaps at Cameraman During Roland-Garros Match

Novak Djokovic battled for five hours against an opponent half his age before losing to Joao Fonseca in a five-set thriller in Round 3 at Roland-Garros on Friday.

Djokovic was exceptionally gracious in defeat, but a few hours earlier, he was agitated.

The 24-time Grand Slam major champion was putting his racket away after winning the first two sets over Fonseca when a cameraman inched closer and closer to his face. Djokovic broke the fourth wall and said, “Can you come more in my face? For God’s sake, make some space.”

The Tennis Letter’s post about the interaction has been viewed over 1.2 million times on X:

Later, Djokovic spoke to his overarching headspace in his post-match press conference.

“I think I was playing good tennis, really good level, considering I was injured for three months and trying to come back and going pretty much straight into Grand Slam on this surface that is very demanding and, for me, takes more time to get used to,” Djokovic said.

When a reporter asked Djokovic whether he let his mind start dreaming about winning his 25th Grand Slam title once No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner shockingly lost Thursday, Djokovic interrupted and dismissed the notion. “I’ll stop you right there,” he said. “I just lost [in the] third round. Let’s just talk about something else. Thank you.”

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Roland-Garros and Wimbledon due to a nagging wrist injury, so with Djokovic and Sinner out, a brand-new Grand Slam champion will be crowned at Roland-Garros on June 7.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 1:50 PM.