FRENCH OPEN: How I was able to defeat Djokovic –Fonseca
Brazilian tennis star Joao Fonseca has revealed what he did to secure victory against veteran player Novak Djokovic in a third round game at the French Open (Rolland Garos).
19-year-old Fonseca came from two sets down to beat Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in a pulsating game of tennis played under intense heat in Paris, the capital of France.
The teenager admitted that he struggled early in the game against Djokovic because he did not believe in himself and it was also tough playing against his opponent under intense heat.
However, Fonseca disclosed that he began to gain momentum in the game when he decided to focus “point by point” rather than dwelling on the two-set deficit he earlier had in the matchup against Djokovic.
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“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,” he 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.”
Fonseca also stated that it was a profound moment to share the court with Djokovic whom he described as best tennis players to play the game.
“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.”
