GENEVA — Novak Djokovic will defend his French Open title in Paris still without a trophy this season after losing in the Geneva Open semifinals on Friday.
The 44th-ranked Tomas Machac beat Djokovic 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 in the last clay-court event to prepare for Roland Garros, where main-draw play starts on Sunday.
Djokovic’s record in 2024 dropped to 14-6 overall and 0-3 in semifinals, including at the Australian Open against Jannik Sinner.
Machac took his first match-point chance which came on Djokovic’s serve and clinched when the top-ranked Serb pushed a backhand long.
It was the fifth time Djokovic had his service broken and he also made 27 unforced errors.
“If you play against Novak you just hope and try to play your best and see how it looks,” Machac said in an on-court interview.
Djokovic warmly greeted the Czech at the net, and smiled as he walked off court, applauding the fans.
Machac will play his first tour final on Saturday against two-time Geneva champion Casper Ruud or the unseeded Flavio Cobolli.