After the biggest win of his career, the first thing Joao Fonseca was asked was how he kept believing he could win. And Fonseca answered honestly: he didn’t.
It was Fonseca’s first time playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier. His first win in the third round of a Grand Slam. And his first match against Novak Djokovic.
He had come through a tough five-setter just two days prior, coming back from down two sets to love against Dino Prizmic. It was an impressive win that certainly boosted Fonseca’s confidence, but to defeat Djokovic would be a much more difficult task.
Joao Fonseca Meets the Moment Against Novak Djokovic
The first two sets looked like a 24-time Grand Slam champion against a 19-year-old who had never been in the second week of a Major. Although Fonseca battled back from a 5-1 deficit in the first set, he couldn’t see the comeback through as Djokovic took the set, 6-4. The second set followed a similarly calm script for Djokovic, resulting in the same scoreline.
At that point, what was a highly anticipated match looked as though it would be a routine win for Djokovic. He hadn’t lost a best-of-five match from two sets to love in 16 years and he was simply outplaying Fonseca.
Djokovic’s level didn’t go away, but Fonseca raised his.
At the beginning of the third set, Fonseca went up an early break and fended off two break points to consolidate. His attempts to add variety that fell short in the first two sets started to click into place, with his slices and drop shots becoming more effective as the match went on.
Fonseca held for the rest of the set and closed it out behind strong serving for a 6-3 scoreline.
The fourth set was critical for both players. Fonseca needed to stay alive, and Djokovic had to close out the match—especially considering his overall tournament hopes with the draw fairly open. Both players produced strong tennis under pressure, resulting in a set that was nearly 90 minutes long.
Fonseca got an early break once again, but this time Djokovic managed to break back. Both players had chances to take an advantage throughout the set, and it was Fonseca who came through when it mattered, finding his most powerful forehands at the right time to go up a late break and serve out the set.
And, once again, Fonseca found himself in a fifth set after staring down a potential straight-set loss. He had absolutely nothing to lose and played free, fearless tennis.
When Djokovic went up an early break in the fifth, Fonseca didn’t crumble. He responded with an immediate break-back. Everything that had been working for Fonseca up until this point was still out in full force, but what really shined down the stretch was his patience in rallies. In the fifth set, Fonseca was ending points at all the right times.
Just like he had in the fourth set, Fonseca had break points at 5-5. Djokovic saved the first two, but on the third, Fonseca hit a drop shot that just barely made it over the net, impossible for Djokovic to get to. With that, he had a chance to serve out the match.
It would be the biggest win of his career, his best Grand Slam run, and his second comeback from two sets to love—his first coming mere days before. All the pressure was on Fonseca as he served for the match, and he handled it with striking composure.
Djokovic, of course, didn’t make things easy for Fonseca and held a break point at 30-40. And Fonseca didn’t blink. He served an ace out wide to bring the game to deuce, and, needing just two points to win the match, served two aces down the T.
Joao Fonseca has had impressive moments in his young career. None of them have been nearly as spectacular as this. Navigating uncharted waters on the biggest stage in the sport against one of the greats, Fonseca proved himself with equal parts skill, adaptability, and perseverance.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images