Fonseca does not buy Djokovic's proposal: "He says it because he is getting older"

Joao Fonseca made his debut in the best way at the ATP Montreal 2026 with a great victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Furthermore, at the end of the match he took a "dig" at Novak Djokovic after his proposal to change the format of tennis to make it shorter and more entertaining, something that the Brazilian player attributes to his age and the problems caused by long matches.

A few days ago, Djokovic stated that tennis needed a change, and for this, he proposed a new format where matches are played to sets of 4 games and without advantages. According to the Serbian player, tournaments should continue to maintain their best of 3 and 5 sets formats, but to shorten matches and make them less tedious for people, he suggests a revolution that would completely modify the sport and has generated a variety of opinions.

Fonseca was asked about this in the press conference after his victory over Tsitsipas, and he did not buy Novak's proposal. "The truth is that I did very well playing sets to four games at the Next Gen Finals, so I can't complain. But I think that Novak says that because of his physique... because he's getting older (laughs). Beyond that, I believe that six games per set is part of the history of this sport. It is classic tennis, and I think it is important to maintain that tradition. Although, as I said, I had good results with the other format," he concluded.

A revolution that generates much controversy

This is not the first time this debate has arisen, just as it is not the first time a notable diversity of opinions has been generated. There are the more revolutionary thinkers who support such initiatives and even want to eliminate matches played in the best of 5 sets, and then there are the purists who believe that this would take away the essence of tennis and would not benefit the sport, as it would lose epic five-set matches with a format lacking drama.

Not to mention, in Roland Garros 2026, Fonseca himself came back two sets against Djokovic in a dramatic third-round match, and the Serbian player was quite physically diminished in the final stages of the duel. Although Joao understands Nole's stance, he leans more toward the view of those who think that tennis should stay as it is, and he has not hesitated to throw a little jab at the Serbian in laughter to make his position clear.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fonseca no compra la propuesta de Djokovic: "Lo dice porque se está haciendo mayor"