Fonseca accepts the challenge: "Expectations will come and people will talk"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 27 May 2025 | 23.23

Fonseca accepts the challenge: "Expectations will come and people will talk." Photo: Getty Images

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He did it in Melbourne and now repeats it in Paris. In Australia it was Andrey Rublev, and in France it has been Hubert Hurkacz. Joao Fonseca shone again on a tennis court after some irregular months since his victory in the ATP Buenos Aires. As expected, with the defeats came the criticism, especially after his clay court tour, where he has one victory and three defeats. But as soon as he arrived at another Grand Slam, inspiration returned to the Brazilian who, accompanied by his compatriots, thrashed the Pole by 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.

After his first big victory at Roland Garros, Fonseca stopped by the press conference and took the opportunity to thank the support he received from all the Brazilian fans gathered in a packed Court 7. Additionally, he spoke about the high expectations placed on him, his level against Hurkacz and the strong points of his tennis.

Supported by a Brazilian wave

"It's always good to play in front of the Brazilian public. Maybe 80% of the audience was Brazilian, so that's great. We enjoyed some moments. It's my first time playing here, in the main draw of Roland Garros, and I've enjoyed it a lot."

With the memory of Guga Kuerten always present

"I'm very happy. It's a dream. We have Guga, who is a legend in this sport. He's a legend for us Brazilians, not only for his tennis, but for his charisma, the way he talks to people, does his interviews, etc. Yes, it's an honor to be here, in front of the Brazilian public, playing and having a great performance like today."

Taking revenge on Court 7

"I knew there would be many Brazilians here in Paris, many Brazilians who live here and come often. I think it's because of Guga, the tradition, and there are many Brazilians. When I was heading to the court and saw there was a huge line to get in, and people at Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen watching, it reminded me of a déjà vu, because I played on this court against Debru in junior quarters in 2022 and lost the match, and it was very nice to be there again and perform very well in this incredible stadium with the audience."

Embracing the pressure on his shoulders

"Expectations will come and people will talk, compare me with others, with other players. For my mindset, it's good to be with good people who help me stay focused, maintain the mindset I need. I need to do my best to improve my routines, be with good people, stay healthy, and not focus on expectations. Yes, I'm doing very well, but sometimes the pressure will come. It's normal. You have to deal with it. I'm young and now have experience of everything. So, I'm learning a lot from this circuit and environment, which will generate many expectations."

High level against Hurkacz

"I just played the best I could. I played very well, focusing a lot on returns and serves. I knew there would be a lot of big serves, and I was just focusing on putting the first return on the ball, the plus one, the return plus one, getting to the middle and trying to be as aggressive as I could. Trying to focus on opportunities, go to the net, and try to be aggressive when I could. So, yes, it was a great match. I'm very happy with how I served, so I can say it was an amazing match."

Strengths and weaknesses of his tennis

"There is a lot to improve. I can say maybe my forehand is my best skill, but overall, I think my mindset is very good. It's difficult to play in this type of tournaments with this atmosphere and with many expectations, so I would say my mindset is good. As I said, the pressure will come. In the last tournaments, I felt pressured, didn't feel very good on the court, was a bit more tense, and didn't enjoy it much. And, yes, now I feel very comfortable. I feel very happy on the court. Happy and playing well. Yes, so, I mean, to improve, I think of course it will be the backhand, I need to improve my backhand, my serves, my skills at the net. Those are things that will come with time, and my defense also needs to improve a bit more on clay," states Fonseca, who raises his level when Grand Slams come and accepts the challenge of high expectations placed on him.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fonseca acepta el reto: "Las expectativas van a llegar y la gente va a hablar"