ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2025

Joao Fonseca

Press Conference

J. DRAPER/J. Fonseca

6-2, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Bad luck for today, Joao. Still a great Roland Garros. What did you learn about today's match?

JOAO FONSECA: I mean, if I want to achieve good things in this sport, I need to play with these kind of players. Yeah, today was an experience, to play five sets against a top-5 player, and one of the best players that I played this year.

I mean, it was an experience, and I didn't play my best, I can say. But I say that Jack played really well. I mean, it was an experience. Maybe on the start of the set, the start of the games, I could play better and made him, like, think a little bit more about the match.

When he started breaking me too early in the set, he just started playing unbelievable, going for the shots. I didn't make him think a little bit more on the game, so that's what's my point of this match.

Yeah, we keep learning and we keep going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. It seems like the first three games, four games that you couldn't find the rhythm. Did he let you not find the rhythm, or did you feel something different that you couldn't get into it?

JOAO FONSECA: I mean, the first two games, we both were super nervous. That's what I thought. When he broke me early on the game, I think he started playing his game, going for the shots, and I was still finding the way to play.

But at the same time, I mean, he played good in those games. Sometimes I could stay more patience and try to maybe do something different, but I say that it was difficult for me to find the path there.

Yeah, that's was the learning from today, and now we go on.

Q. How are you working through this important thing that big champions always do, that is winning when you play bad? So talking with your team in this aspect, what do you work in your mind, in your physicality?

JOAO FONSECA: I mean, this comes with experience. I'm still learning about this, still learning about playing with five sets. Things can change very quick.

So when I finished the second set, me and my coach -- I mean, my coach was telling me, Just keep going, keep finding the rhythm, and keep playing, as maybe you're gonna break him. You do like, I don't know, a double fault, and then you break him, and things, like, started changing.

I'm still learning about this, and it's nice to see, because sometimes I'm playing bad. Yeah, you need to keep going, that things can change very quick.

So, yeah, that was what he was talking to me, but at the same time, I didn't play good in the beginning of the third set. He started putting a lot of pressure. I mean, yeah, it was 6-2, but I tried my best.

Q. He's the highest-ranked player you have played in your young career. I wondered what the things were that most struck you most against a player that highly ranked compared to before? Was there anything different in how he played today compared to when you played at Indian Wells?

JOAO FONSECA: I mean, the surface was different, so he was getting much more the balls. Defensively he was going high and going next to the baseline. So it was making me -- I mean, I was attacking. On some point he did, like, a good defense, and then the points started from the zero again.

Yeah, playing against those guys, against the top-5 guys, you need to know how to play those kind of things, because when you're playing on hard court, sometimes you are attacking, attacking, attacking, and the point finish.

On clay you are attacking the ball, go high, and then maybe you are in defense and need to come back again and then try to think about the point again.

I mean, it's much more difference. I think the most different thing from Jack, from these guys are, I mean, how he started, the intensity, and the way he played on important points, not going for the lines, be aggressive, not going for the lines, and the intensity. They go for the shots when they need to go.

I mean, that was different from today, yeah.

Q. Seems like you're improving with every month that you play. Do you have any goals for the end of the year that you want to achieve either from a ranking perspective or a Grand Slam perspective? Do they incrementally change by your improvement?

JOAO FONSECA: Maybe a goal, I mean, I want to become -- I want to play, like, the big tournaments. I mean, now with my ranking, I can play, but I want to play, like, the main draw of the 500, all of them, maybe top 40, something like that.

But maybe at the end of the year, maybe my goal is to be seeded player in Australia. It's a goal for me. It's my personal goal. It's what I'm thinking. I know we need time. We need good weeks, results, but it's my personal goal, and that's what I think.

Yeah, like you said, I'm improving and learning. So yeah, I'm not feeling bad about this loss today. I mean, he's a great player. I know that I didn't play my best.

But now we need to move on, think about the next weeks coming, grass season. Yeah, it's just a beginning, so we keep learning and practicing.

Q. I wonder if you have practiced with any of these top-5 players ever? What do you think of whether they play differently at practice from the match, what the difference is? And also, if you haven't, do you struggle to find practice partners now that you're just starting off? Because Jack was saying that he had a lot of problems when he started out, so if you could just talk about that.

JOAO FONSECA: No, I haven't practiced with anyone recently of the top-5 players. I already practiced with Jannik. I already practiced with Carlos. I played with Jack. But recently, Tsitsipas, which is a great player.

I mean, Jack is lefty, so, I mean, I know it's difficult for him to find practice, and yeah, I see all the lefties struggling about this.

Yeah, for me, I think it's normal. I mean, when the coaches are talking and, Let's find a practice, maybe, I don't know, are you playing Halle or no? Then we find a way to practice.

So then I think it's, yeah, for practice, everything is normal, yeah.