He will need to recover and prepare for his next appearance at Wimbledon next month.
As a seven‑time champion on grass — a surface that has challenged many younger competitors — Djokovic remains confident of his prospects at the All England Club.
While Djokovic cannot be discounted from potentially becoming the oldest men’s singles champion in the Open Era, the passage of time has long been looming over him.
He should, in theory, be enjoying the benefits of retirement by now.
He might be coaching a young compatriot away from the spotlight, as Andy Murray has done, or perhaps embarking on a promotional campaign for a new Netflix documentary, similar to Rafael Nadal’s recent activities.
Meanwhile, as his long‑time rivals transition to new phases of life, Djokovic was seen vomiting beside the court, struggling to summon the energy needed to defeat a teenage opponent.
This underscores his extraordinary resilience; he continues to test his limits against far younger competitors.
His relentless appetite for the sport’s most prestigious titles shows no sign of waning.
However, having reached at least the semifinals in each of the past five Grand Slams, this tournament provided the clearest indication yet that age is beginning to catch up with him.
Djokovic appeared to be in complete control, taking a two‑set lead, but he failed to sustain that level as Fonseca demonstrated his own prowess.
“It would be nice if it were best-of-three,” Djokovic remarked with a smile.
“I simply ran out of gas, to be honest. I didn’t feel good at all on the court in the following sets,” he admitted.
Djokovic has historically excelled in the best‑of‑five format of the majors, defeating almost every opponent in recent years.
The exceptions have been players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and a knee injury that forced his withdrawal against Alexander Zverev at last year’s Australian Open.
Everyone else has either lacked the necessary quality or the mindset to overcome the veteran Djokovic.