Joao Fonseca said a change in mentality and months of hard work have helped fuel his rise to a first Grand Slam quarterfinal after the Brazilian teenager’s breakthrough run at the French Open.
The 19-year-old reached the last eight of a major for the first time on Sunday with a 7-5 7-6(8) 5-7 6-2 victory over two-time runner-up Casper Ruud.
“Pre-season in December was pretty tough,” he told
reporters. “Australia can be an example, because I was with no
rhythm at all. Practiced like two days with 13 days off and
tried to play.
“But what changed is doing a lot of physical stuff and
working hard.”
After winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, Fonseca burst
into the spotlight with an upset of Andrey Rublev at the 2025
Australian Open.
He said his experiences over the past year had helped shape
his progress.
“The mentality also changed a lot, focusing on the points
and not in the end of the match,” he said.
“I’m out of home since Monte-Carlo, but I think a lot of
work came. Mentality improved a lot.”
Fonseca said he felt more comfortable imposing himself
against Ruud than he had during his earlier victory over Novak
Djokovic in Paris, repeatedly taking the initiative against one
of the circuit’s strongest clay-court players.
“Against Djokovic was more mental,” he said.
“I was feeling more confident in today’s match and more
aggressive, going for the shots and trying to command on the
points pretty soon.”
Three-times champion Gustavo Kuerten watched Sunday’s match
from the stands and Fonseca enjoyed having the support of his
countryman.
“Having Guga there supporting and cheering was amazing and
super-nice experience today,” he added.
“It’s different. Of course my first time, but just living
the moment.”
Source: Khaleej Times