Whilst he might have come up short in the quarter-finals, Joao Fonseca believes his breakthrough run at the French Open shows he is on the right path.
The 19-year-old became the first Brazilian man to reach the last eight at Roland Garros since three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten did so in 2004. In two consecutive matches, he came back from two sets down, one of them against Novak Djokovic. Following on from that, he defeated Casper Ruud in four sets.
Fonseca was stopped in his tracks by a solid Jakub Mensik, who is the youngest Czech man in the Open Era to reach the last four in Paris at the age of 20. Mensik will next take on Alexander Zverev.
“Despite the loss, it was a very good run—two positive weeks of hard work and learning,” Fonseca said during an interview with ESPN Brazil.
“I went into those two weeks with no expectations, and I managed to achieve a great result.“Today’s (Tuesday’s) match was all down to my opponent. Now it’s time to move on.
“Now it’s time to hold my head high, go home, and then get ready for the rest of the season.”
2026 has been a mixed season for Fonseca, who failed to win back-to-back matches in six out of nine tournaments coming into Paris. His start to the year was hindered by a lower back injury. Then the youngster experienced a disappointing South American swing before gaining momentum on the Tour with runs to the fourth round in Indian Wells, quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, quarter-finals in Munich, and now his first major quarter-final at the French Open.
The mixed results of the rising star have come under scrutiny in his home country, with various media pundits voicing their views. However, Fonseca said the only opinion he listens to is that of his team. He is coached by Guilherme Teixeira.
“There are a lot of tennis experts out there in the world, in the media… but really, only I, my team, and my family know just how hard we work every day—even during weeks when things don’t look so promising, when we’re lacking a bit of confidence, but we keep working,” he said.
“The hard work, the perseverance, really believing in it can be worth it. Seeing that I can play with these guys, that I can face them, that I can believe until the end—a lot of that comes through, and it just gives me more strength to keep believing. I’m very happy with my team, with everyone’s support, and it’s about moving forward, going ahead.”
Fonseca will hope to continue his surge onto the grass heading into Wimbledon. So far in his career, he has only played in the main draw of four grass events on the ATP main Tour. His best result was reaching the third round at Wimbledon last year.
“Grass is very different from clay; the game is faster, but I think playing five sets is very different. Having this experience gives me more experience in Grand Slams in general,” he concluded.
Fonseca is currently 25th in the ATP live rankings, one spot below his career high.
