Jack Draper, Alexander Zverev weigh in on Joao Fonseca, who wants to learn from Roland Garros experience

Roland Garros

Draper, Zverev weigh in on Fonseca, who wants to learn from Roland Garros experience

Brazilian lost to Draper in straight sets

Peter Staples Joao Fonseca was competing in the third round at a major for the first time. By Sam Jacot

Joao Fonseca’s Roland Garros run may have come to an end at the hands of World No. 5 Jack Draper on Saturday, but the 18-year-old Brazilian leaves Paris with his hype as high as ever.

The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion earned straight-sets wins against Hubert Hurkacz and Pierre-Hugues Herbert to reach the third round at a major for the first time. Ultimately, Draper proved too strong, prevailing in straight sets after one hour and 49 minutes

Speaking after the match, Fonseca was quick to focus on the positives and the lessons learned.

“If I want to achieve good things in this sport, I need to play with these kind of players,” Fonseca said when reflecting on his defeat to Draper. “Today was an experience, to play five sets against a Top-5 player, and one of the best players that I played this year.”

Fonseca later continued: “I'm still learning about this, still learning about playing with five sets. Things can change very quick. When I finished the second set, my coach was telling me to just keep going, keep finding the rhythm, and keep playing. I'm still learning about this and it's nice to see, because sometimes I'm playing bad and need to keep going, that things can change very quick.”

Draper was dominant for large periods of his 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win against Fonseca but was quick to praise the Brazilian when discussing the 18-year-old’s game in his own post-match press conference on Saturday.

“How old is he, 18? [It is] Pretty impressive,” Draper said. “I am 23, so that's five years, and the amount I've changed in one year. So I think he just needs time. He's already Top 50 in the world and he's doing incredible things.

“His experience and everything is only going to grow the more matches [he plays], and more experience playing top players, more time practising. I think he is only going to go up for him. I think it's going to be scary what he's going to be able to achieve.”

Now up 10 spots to No. 55 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Fonseca has been enjoying a breakout 2025. He claimed a Top-10 win against Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open and then captured his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires in February, becoming the youngest South American champion in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).

While Draper now leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-0, Fonseca had looked sharp earlier in the week, dispatching both Hurkacz and Herbert in straight sets. Draper had never won a match at Roland Garros until this year and knows just how steep the learning curve can be at the Slams.

“I think in Grand Slams, the physical challenge that gets in your head a little bit. Thinking it's one thing beating guys ranked 30 to 100 in five sets, but playing someone who is confident and someone who is playing good tennis, to feel like you have to win three sets is a big physical challenge,” Draper explained. “I think that's tough when you haven't played loads of Grand Slam events.

“I think obviously maybe just that experience of beating top, top players, if you don't have that, then maybe you feel a little bit like you have to do a lot with your tennis. You have to overplay maybe. I think the past couple of times I played against Joao, he's come out really aggressive and I'm physical, I'm able to get behind ball after ball. Therefore, maybe he feels like he needs to do too much.”

In other action on Saturday, Alexander Zverev advanced to the fourth round with a win against Flavio Cobolli. Afterward, the German was asked about Fonseca’s showing and echoed Draper’s sentiments about the importance of patience and physical development.

“I had a few very tough losses beginning in my career against top, top players. Rafa in Indian Wells. Rafa at the Australian Open. But it was quite obvious what I was missing. I was missing physicality. I was not ready physically to compete with them for five sets throughout a longer period of time,” Zverev said.

“I think Jack really doesn't fit [Fonseca]. It's as simple as that. Lefty, heavy forehand to his backhand is still a little bit of a problem for Joao. That's what I assume.”

For now, Fonseca is looking to move on and continue to build towards his longer term goals.

“My goal is to be seeded player in Australia. It's a goal for me. It's my personal goal. It's what I'm thinking. I know we need time. We need good weeks, results, but it's my personal goal, and that's what I think,” Fonseca said looking ahead. “I'm improving and learning. I'm not feeling bad about this loss today. I mean, he's a great player. I know that I didn't play my best. But now we need to move on, think about the next weeks coming and the grass season.”

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