ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 8, 2026

Joao Fonseca

Press Conference

J. FONSECA/A. Rinderknech

7-5, 4-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. I would like to ask you, last time you played with Matteo, your next opponent, it was the Davis Cup in 2024. What do you remember about that match? What do you expect for tomorrow morning?

JOAO FONSECA: I mean, if I'm not mistaken, it was my first Davis Cup match. Yeah, I think it was different conditions, of course. I mean, hard indoor, and then clay is very different.

I think, if I'm not mistaken, as well, I think he didn't lose any game this week still. It's going to be a tough match, for sure. We know that Matteo is capable of winning against anyone. He has great serve, great forehand. He plays good on clay.

It's going to be difficult match. But I'm feeling confident, feeling good this week. I think the conditions are good for me. Like I said, it's going to be a good match, so let's go for it.

Q. Everywhere there is Fonseca mania, the crowd cheering for you. How do you explain yourself this situation, everywhere in the world?

JOAO FONSECA: Well, I will say there are Brazilians everywhere, and yeah, Brazilians are loud. Even 10 Brazilians can make a lot of noise. It's noisy, it's fun. Today was a great atmosphere against, I mean, French crowd and then Brazilian crowd, and then, yeah, it was a great vibe.

Yeah, I think the support from the fans, support from the crowd, is just really important. But for me, it's really good. I think that the tennis atmosphere is great. It helps the player when things are difficult or things are good that you need to stay focused.

So, for example, for me today in the third set was difficult, and the crowd helped me to stay positive, to stay in the game. So, yeah, I'm very happy that, yeah, in Brazil, tennis is getting bigger and bigger, and the Brazilian crowd are following more and more tennis.

Q. What do you expect for tomorrow? Berrettini is an idol here for Italy. For you, there is Fonseca mania. So the crowd is cheering for Joao or Matteo?

JOAO FONSECA: I think it's going to be similar as today. There are a lot of Italians, as well. I can see there are some Brazilian flags and Brazilian shirts and people are cheering.

So I think the crowd is going to -- like I said, today was a great atmosphere, and I think tomorrow is going to be the same.