Paris: Novak Djokovic fired off three questions during the 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? DJOKOVIC: I don’t know. After Carlos was sidelined and Janic lost, did your mind start thinking about the rest?DJOKOVIC: I don’t care. I will stop you 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 In the third round against 19-year-old Joao Fonseca. Djokovic looked in control for long periods, 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. Two of those questions he answered 12 months ago after losing to Jenk Sener in the semi-finals of the French Open. He talked about the demands of the level and how at this stage in his career he probably asked for more than he could give.But on Friday night, after the youngster walked out, Djokovic was in no mood to see him again.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.“When I won the fourth set, I was already exhausted,” said Fonseca, who had 11 aces in the match, including five in the fifth set. The fifth set was everyone’s heart. I couldn’t imagine. I was just trying to get going.” Both men were tired, however, only one of them was 39.“Considering 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, my level was really good,” said Djokovic, playing just his fourth tournament of the year. “The end of the fourth was my best chance, 4-3, 15-40. He played really good points. He was attacking, serving big,” he said. “When I look back at the key moments, could I have done anything differently? You know, you can always say, yes, but you just have to say, well done, and congratulate him.”“Maybe my only mistake was at 3-1 in the fifth and serving and when I dropped serve,” Djokovic lamented. In that match, five of 16 break points were converted, three more points won overall but three fewer games on the scoreboard, not adding up enough. And yet there may be reason enough to believe that he will return at Roland Garros, not to settle the score, but to set a straight one.
