As Novak Djokovic limped back to his chair four hours into a tennis match that had descended into hell, the 24-times grand slam winner did not have much more to give. A two-set lead had unravelled and his 39-year-old body had hit a wall against a shining opponent 20 years his junior. Having reached the umpire’s chair, Djokovic vomited into the red dirt.

Still, nobody has mastered the art of finding victory from a miserable position quite like Djokovic, so everybody inside Court Philippe-Chatrier knew he could always conjure a path through.

It took the most courageous, headstrong performance from João Fonseca to refuse his legendary opponent a way back. The 19-year-old Brazilian held on for a career-defining victory, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, after 4hr 53min.

While Fonseca is still a teenager this victory was a long time coming considering his talent and the attention that has been on him. Fonseca was asked about the self-belief that underscored the victory during his on-court interview. “I just played,” he said. “I just enjoyed being on court. What a pleasure it was.”

The plaudits were led by his opponent: “I think he, without a doubt, was the better player in important moments in those crucial fourth and fifth,” Djokovic said.

“Some amazing exchanges and points. Yeah, he just found incredible shots, lines. It was just amazing from his side. Obviously not great for me to be facing a player playing in such level, but yeah, I don’t think I’ve done too much wrong with my game. It’s just that he was better.”

This is just the second time Djokovic has lost from two sets up, the other occasion coming in a 2010 French Open quarter-final against Jürgen Melzer. One day earlier, Jannik Sinner’s astounding defeat by Juan Manuel Cerúndolo had transformed the tournament. All eyes turned to Djokovic, who had been waiting for this moment: a grand slam event without Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.

But Djokovic was simply not in good enough shape to take advantage. He has been injured for much of this year since his epic run to the Australian Open final and although his level here was high for nearly five hours, it was not enough: “Considering I was injured for three months and trying to come back and then, going pretty much straight into a grand slam on this surface that is very demanding and, for me, takes more time to get used to, to find my groove,” he said. “Taking everything in consideration and all the circumstances, I think the level was really good.”

Djokovic had started impressively, breaking Fonseca in the Brazilian’s opening service game. For two sets he served well, dictated from the baseline with his forehand, and exposed Fonseca’s average movement. He established a two-set lead.

Fonseca has received more hype than any other young player in recent years, the attention driven by his nuclear forehand and the passionate, ever-present Brazilian fanbase desperate to crown a new champion. At Roland Garros, the tournament previously commanded by the three-times champion Gustavo Kuerten, that emotion is felt more fervently. Brazil shirts were visible as far as the eyes could see.

Having been thoroughly outplayed for two sets, Fonseca showed his toughness. He served precisely, obliterating his forehand and wresting control of the baseline from Djokovic for the first time. Fonseca was also incredibly bold in the key moments as he clawed his way back into the match.

Suddenly, this was a physical, bruising and high-quality dogfight. Fonseca refused to stop swinging. This was particularly true when he trailed 3-4, 15-40 in the fourth set, five points from defeat, yet he served spectacularly under pressure to hold.

While the court was covered in shade as evening fell, the conditions were uncomfortably humid. With every mighty forehand, Djokovic was charged with tracking down, the Serb’s energy levels were further depleted. Despite forcing Fonseca to fight hard for every successful point, Djokovic was visibly struggling physically at the beginning of the fifth.

At times, he let Fonseca’s most violent ground strokes pass him by without chase, continually limping between points. He laughed repeatedly to his team in recognition of the absurd situation he found himself in and he sat down in the courtside flowerbeds between games. Still he continued to fight.

It was Djokovic who first broke through in set five, establishing a 3-1 lead. But Fonseca remained calm and focused. Along with his serve, he continued to think clearly, drawing upon his touch and court sense under pressure. At 5-5 in the final set, with everything on the line, Fonseca smothered Djokovic with an array of perfectly measured drop shots to snatch the decisive break.

Fonseca found himself down a break point in the final game, one last obstacle to overcome. He responded with three consecutive aces to close out the match of his life.