World No. 65 Joao Fonseca reflected on his recent defeat to Jack Draper at Roland Garros. The 18-year-old Brazilian was defeated by the British world No. 39, 2-6, 4-6, 2-6.
Q: You played against the highest-ranked opponent of your young career today. What impressed you most about facing a player of this level compared to previous opponents? Also, did anything about his game differ from your previous match against him in Indian Wells?
A: Well, clay is a completely different story. He retrieved a lot more balls. Defensively, he played high and stayed deep near the baseline, which forced me to constantly rethink and rebuild the points. I was attacking, but his defense was solid, and it felt like the rallies were always restarting. Playing against someone from the Top 5 is always a challenge. On hard courts, you attack, attack, and points usually finish quickly. But on clay, you hit, you move forward, and suddenly you`re back in defense, having to reconstruct the point. It`s just different tennis.
The most striking aspects of Jack`s game today were his initial intensity and pace. Particularly in crucial moments – he doesn`t just blast winners randomly, but he`s consistently aggressive and knows precisely when to go for the kill shot. That was the main difference I noticed today.
Q: You seem to be progressing rapidly each month. Do you have specific year-end goals, either for your ranking or concerning the Grand Slams? And does your approach to setting goals change as your progress accelerates?
A: Yes, I definitely have goals. I want to consistently play in the main draws of significant tournaments like the ATP 500s. With my current ranking, that`s already achievable, but my dream is to break into the Top 40. A specific personal goal for the end of the year would be great to be seeded at the Australian Open. Naturally, achieving this requires time and good results, but I`m certainly striving for it.
I feel like I`m truly learning and improving all the time. Today`s defeat isn`t overly disheartening; Jack is an excellent player, and perhaps I didn`t perform at my absolute best. But tennis moves fast: the grass court season is coming up, and then more tournaments. This feels like just the beginning for me, so I`ll keep working hard and developing,” Fonseca stated during his press conference.
Rupert Hartwell