Fonseca is not satisfied: "I am happy with my performance, but not with my level"

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Joao Fonseca is already in the second round of Roland Garros 2026 after defeating Luka Pavlovic in straight sets. A match that was closely contested at times and ended up swaying due to the lack of experience on the Frenchman's part.

And all this despite Joao Fonseca being only 19 years old, meaning he hasn't had much time to gain experience, yet on Sunday, he showed he knows how to handle certain moments in a match that you cannot afford to lose. The Brazilian was better in crucial moments, and when the Frenchman raised his level, Fonseca also managed to keep up. A hard-fought victory to kick off his journey in Paris and start believing in something bigger at Roland Garros.

Fonseca reflects on his debut at Roland Garros 2026

"I'm pleased with my performance, but not with my level today, with how I technically played, but I'm happy with how I fought until the end. The first round is always tough, there's much more pressure, and I also faced an opponent who came through qualifying, so he had already played three matches. I'm happy with how I stayed mentally focused during the match, concentrated, and glad to have progressed. Now we're in the second round, so there's nothing to regret, just to be happy. I think these matches mean much more than just winning."

Luka Pavlovic, a surprising opponent

"He's a player with a good serve who doesn't give much rhythm to the match. He plays a lot of drop shots, a lot of serve and volley, he likes to take risks with his backhand, so it's a bit tricky to find the right feel with the ball. At the start, when you're more nervous, it's challenging, but I believe I stayed mentally strong with my serve. I got an early break, but kept positive. I wasn't playing my best tennis, but I kept pushing and recovered the break. We went to a tiebreak; I had some break points and set points when he was serving at 5-6, but he played well. He also had a set point in the tiebreak. I think that set was crucial for the match; when I won it, I felt his energy drop a bit, and I started to feel better on the court and with my shots."

Recovered from his issues in Hamburg

"Injuries will show up in some way, I don't know any player who doesn't feel discomfort, even while playing. Sometimes you play feeling something, and it's normal, you have to deal with it; I think all athletes feel it to some extent. It's something my team and I work on a lot; I believe everyone does, no one wants to feel pain. No one wants to stop playing tennis. We try to take care of our bodies, I think that's the main priority. For me and my team, it was an important decision not to play in Hamburg and to arrive here feeling 100%. When I came to the Media Day on the first day, I was happy because I didn't feel any pain, because I was healthy to play."

Confident on this surface

"I enjoy playing on clay, I believe the game is much more about patience because the opponent will return more balls, and it's easier to reach the ball. You can use more topspin and play deeper; it's not like on hard courts or grass, where you hit a good shot and that's it. Here, you need to be more patient, but yes, I like playing on this surface, I think it suits my game. As I said, I didn't feel like I was at my best level today, but I'm happy with how I fought and how I started the match at one level and finished with a better one. That's a positive thing."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fonseca no se conforma: “Estoy contento con mi actuación, pero no con mi nivel”