Novak Djokovic will defend his French Open title in Paris still without a trophy this season after losing in the Geneva Open semi-finals 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 semi-finals, 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.

“I have no reaction right now, I just fought for every ball,” Machac said in an on-court interview.

“When you play against Novak you just hope. You just try to play your best and see what it looks like.”

“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.

Djokovic struggled physically at times and received a medical timeout at the end of the first set.

The 37-year-old, who was the oldest semi-finalist in tournament history, looked fresher in the second set and moved well, before he faded in the decider.

The 98-time tour-level titlist, who was aiming to reach his first final of the season, will head to Roland Garros where he faces Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round.

Djokovic will try and maintain No. 1 in the ATP Rankings in Paris, where Jannik Sinner can move to the top spot.

Machac is up 10 spots to No. 34 in the rankings following his two-hour, seven-minute win.