PARIS: Novak Djokovic batted away three questions during his post-match press conference at Roland Garros on Friday evening. The answers were brief, but revealing what they refused to say. Will we see you again at Roland Garros next year? Djokovic: “I don’t know.” Would it be okay if this was your last match? “I don’t know.” After Carlos was sidelined and Janic lost, did your mind start thinking about the rest? “I don’t care. I’ll stop you right there.”The 24-time Grand Slam champion had little appetite for questions. They were direct and uncomfortable, just like the way he faced a challenge in court. French Open Third round against 19-year-old Joao Fonseca. For long periods, Djokovic looked in control, leading for two sets and later leading 3-1 in the decisive fifth set. Deep into the match, in the fourth set, he looked ready to grab two break points at 4-3 and 15-40.This is only the second time they have lost a match with two setups. His only previous loss came in the 2010 Roland Garros quarterfinals, when he lost to Jürgen Melzer. In the fifth hour of a Grand Slam match, body and mind are rarely separate forces. As Djokovic’s legs grew heavier, the confidence that had fueled his tennis began to fade.For all the questions about the durability of the 39-year-old’s body, Friday’s loss to Fonseca felt like a match lost in the mind as much as the muscle. That was the injury that Djokovic brought up in his post-match press conference. Fonseca, who had 11 aces in the match, including five in the fifth set, said, “When I won the fourth set, I was already exhausted. The fifth set was the heart of it all. I couldn’t even think. I was just trying to go.”Both men were tired. However, only one of them was 39 years old. Djokovic, playing only his fourth tournament of the year, said, “Given that I was injured for three months and trying to come back, it’s very important to go straight into a Grand Slam at this level and, for me, it takes a long time to find my groove. You know, you can always say, yes, but you just have to say, well done.“
