“Dreaming doesn’t cost anything, I don’t think it affects anyone. We can always dream.” The phrase is from João Fonseca, delivered in a very popular press interview after defeating Novak Djokovic in five sets on Philippe-Chatrier, the central court of Roland Garros. The dream of playing against the Serb — and possibly beating him — was an old one. This Friday (29), it became reality. And now, at 19 years old, for the first time in the round of 16 of a Grand Slam, the Rio native left a bigger dream in the air. “But one thing at a time.”
The first thing he did after finishing the game was pragmatic. “I spoke to my coaches, they said: enjoy. And I: damn, I beat Djokovic, what’s happening? First time in the fourth round. You have to enjoy these moments.”
Djokovic, in his farewell at the net, said a word in Portuguese. “He said ‘congratulations’ and ‘keep it going, good luck’. It was a great pleasure for me to share the court with him. Yesterday it was difficult to even sleep, a lot of thoughts. It was simply an honor.”
Regarding the turnaround, Fonseca was direct: he didn’t believe it. “It was difficult to play against him in the heat. He destroyed me: if I hit hard, the ball came back harder. If I got up, he would drop shot and get aggressive. I just kept focusing point by point, without thinking that I had three sets to go. And I noticed that he was a little more tired. That gave me hope.”
The fifth set was the most difficult. Djokovic opened 3/1 and seemed headed for victory. “I had already gotten that far, I knew it would be all in my heart. I took the break, played some points poorly, made some rash plays. But I knew I was making good returns, leaving him uncomfortable in his service game. There were about seven games left, it had already been four hours of play, so I had to give everything. I knew it wasn’t going to come on a platter. I had to deserve that victory.”
And about the three final aces that closed the game in a moment of extreme pressure: “I had never done that before. I was super happy to be able to finish like that.”
Fonseca also responded to those who underestimated him — cautiously, but without letting it go. “Everyone has their own opinion, their own personality. If people don’t like me, are jealous or something like that, I try to be on social media as little as possible and see what they say.” And he went further: “Both the victory against Prizmic and this one come from a lot of work, a lot of expectations, a lot of frustration — can I do it, can I not, will I be able to maintain myself. So I can say to people who underestimate me: believe in your dreams, stick to the things you want to do in life, because dreams can come true.”
Regarding the technical turnaround in the third set, Fonseca explained. “I started putting deeper returns and was more aggressive with the margin. I became more solid, building points better. At first he dropped shots every time he was aggressive and commanded well. I needed to be more aggressive on returns and on serve too.”
The Brazilian fans, who took over Philippe-Chatrier, were remembered fondly. “Their support was fundamental for me to keep believing and keep fighting. The fifth set was crucial because it was heavy for both of them — and they were there.”
Asked about the physical exhaustion, Fonseca was honest. “At the beginning of the year it was very difficult. I had a great pre-season, but in Australia I got injured and lost my rhythm. I had doubts.” And he defended his team, which is often questioned. “My team is questioned a lot, people are a little prejudiced against Brazilians. But I believe in my coaches. The most important thing is getting along on a daily basis.” For the next games: “Recover as much as possible and leave with everything again, with your heart.”
