ROLAND GARROS

May 23, 2025

Joao Fonseca

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joao, welcome to Paris. What are your feelings as you approach your first main draw appearance here?

JOAO FONSECA: Well, my first main draw appearance, I'm feeling really good. Had some really good matches here in Paris. It's strange because I came here my first time in three years, so it's like a déjà vu sometimes. I went to Suzanne Lenglen, and that was where we stayed in juniors. It was my first time here in Philippe Chatrier. Yeah, happy to play my first match here as a pro.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you handle the amount of attention that you get? It's a lot. How do you find the experience?

JOAO FONSECA: How do I handle?

Q. Do you enjoy it?

JOAO FONSECA: I'm just enjoying my career life. I'm reaching some good things. I'm young, so I'm learning every week.

How do I manage? I will try my best. I try to focus on my routine, what I need to do, focus on good people on my side helping me achieve good things.

I'm, like, learning every week how to adapt. But yeah, things are getting on their own path. Yeah, just focus on my routines and play my tennis.

Q. You mentioned learning. What did you learn from your Australian Open run that maybe you can take into this tournament?

JOAO FONSECA: Well, I think was the biggest stadium that I ever played. Yeah, was my first top-10 player that I played against. The crowd was huge. I mean, I learned how to play on those stadiums. It was an experience for me. My first main draw.

Yeah, I think after Australia a lot changed. Yeah, now I'm a bit more experienced on those type of circumstances.

Q. A question about Elmo Moller, who you played in Madrid, who is known for having a lethal backhand. You're the only one who played an ATP match against him. The approach tactically, how you approached that?

JOAO FONSECA: Well, first I talked to my coach. The first thing he said was about his backhand, it was huge. Seemed like he was a lefty.

The other thing was that I was the younger one, but I was a bit more experienced than him. That was the first time that I felt a little bit more experienced than him on those kind of stadium, those kind of tournaments.

Yeah, it was strange on my part, but I handled really well on the match. Yeah, happy for this match. Played a really good match. Yeah, I thought he was a little bit more nervous, like I stayed in my first tournaments, my first big tournaments.

Q. How is your confidence level at this point? What have you been doing to keep it high or try to get it high?

JOAO FONSECA: Feeling good. Having some good practices. Winning sets against very good players. Yeah, feeling good.

I know tennis. I'm understanding that tennis, it's a sport like every other sport, that you have ups and downs. You're not going to stay up every time. There's going to be some times that you're not feeling very confident, and you need to handle.

At the same time I'm feeling very confident. I'm playing really well. Yeah, so it's my first time here. It's another experience. Like I said, I want to learn every week.

Q. At this stage in your career, what do you consider your best surface?

JOAO FONSECA: I say, because I was born on clay, I would say clay. But after the last year that I played a lot on hard, I played seven months of hard directly, I am kind of more adapted to hard also.

But the surface that I want to play best is grass. It's like a mix (smiling).

Q. Has there been a particular challenge for you playing on clay on the ATP Tour level versus on hard on tour level? Has that been different for you?

JOAO FONSECA: I mean, I don't know. I actually don't know because I play good in clay. I played one week that I won Buenos Aires. After I changed to hard again because Indian Wells and Miami. After I changed to clay again.

Yeah, I felt my head in the beginning of the clay tournaments that was more into hard. I was playing on clay like I needed to play on hard. My head was, like, mixing a little bit.

Now I'm adapting a little bit more.