Brazilian tennis star João Fonseca has disclosed that he had to focus on the point to defeat Novak Djokovic at the French Open.

Recall that the Brazilian teenager made historic headlines after coming back from two sets down to beat Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.

Biggest Upset

Following the monumental upset, Fonseca shared candid remarks on the match, the adjustments he made, and his profound respect for Djokovic.

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Fonseca, who only started his professional career recently, admitted to struggling early in the match and missing easy shots.

He noted that his mindset shifted in the third set when he decided to focus “point by point” rather than dwelling on the two-set deficit.

“Actually, I was not even believing in myself,” Fonseca admitted in Paris. “I mean, it was tough to play against him in the heat. He was destroying me. I mean, if I hit it hard, the ball was coming back harder. And if I go higher, he was just doing drop shots and going aggressive.”

“I just stayed, focusing on point by point, not focusing that I had three more sets to win,” the 19-year-old explained. “And I was just thinking, I mean, let’s stay, let’s stay. I mean, I figured out he was a little bit more tired and that gave me a little bit more hope. And I think I just stayed.”

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Reflects On Sharing The Court With Djokovic

Fonseca also reflected on the emotional dimension of sharing the court with Djokovic, describing the post-match exchange as a significant moment in his early career.

“At the end of the match, he just said good luck. And actually, he said in Portuguese, I can’t remember right now, he said something like ‘parabéns’, which means congrats in Portuguese,” Fonseca noted. “And he said keep it going, good luck. And yeah, for me, it was just a pleasure sharing the court with him.”