Joao Fonseca Honors ‘Legend’ Gustavo Kuerten After Commanding Opening Round win at Roland Garros

Joao Fonseca outclassed Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets in his opening round at Roland Garros.

Joao Fonseca Honors ‘Legend’ Gustavo Kuerten After Commanding Opening Round win at Roland Garros

Joao Fonseca, Gustavo Kuerten (images via X)

Joao Fonseca did it in Melbourne and now repeated it in Paris. At the Australian Open, the Brazilian qualifier upset then top-10 ranked player Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the opening round, and at Roland Garros now, he defeated Hubert Hurkacz. Focusing a lot on returns and serves, the 18-year-old shone again on a tennis court after some irregular months since his victory at the Argentina Open. 

Just a few days ago, Hurkacz had been the runner-up at the Geneva Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic, who clinched his 100th career title with this triumph. At the post-match press conference, after his opening round victory, Fonseca spoke about Brazilian tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten:

I’m very happy. It’s a dream. We have Guga, who is a legend in this sport. He’s a legend for us Brazilians, not only for his tennis, but for his charisma, the way he talks to people, does his interviews, etc. Yes, it’s an honor to be here, in front of the Brazilian public, playing and having a great performance like today.

Kuerten was a three-time champion at the Roland Garros. Kuerten clinched his maiden Grand Slam title in 1997, where he defeated Sergi Bruguera in the Roland Garros final. He won his second Grand Slam title in 2000, where he defeated Magnus Norman in the Roland Garros final. Kuerten defended his title the next year, defeating Alex Corretja in the final.

Joao Fonseca will face Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the second round

Joao Fonseca will next face Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert at the Roland Garros. This will be a fascinating match, as Fonseca’s ability to turn the home crowd of his opponent in his favor is well witnessed. He did it at the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami when he played against Learner Tien and turned the crowd Brazilian on his opponent’s home soil. 

Joao Fonseca
Joao Fonseca (images via Tennis TV and ATP)

With one clay court title under his belt, it will be interesting to see how far the Brazilian sensation progresses in this clay court Grand Slam. While he has been hyped a lot by the media and by other players, most of his season has been marked with early round exits at higher tournaments. 

Joao Fonseca’s strength and weaknesses

Joao Fonseca is known for his strong performances, which can even shake much higher-ranked players. According to Fonseca, his forehand is his best skill, but overall, he believes his mindset is very good. He acknowledged that it is difficult to play in these types of tournaments with this atmosphere and with many expectations, and he believes that he has a very good mindset to deal with these situations. For his mindset, he feels it’s good to be with good people who help him stay focused.

Joao Fonseca
Joao Fonseca (Image via X/TNT Sports)

At just 18, there is already a considerable amount of pressure on the young tennis player. He is seen as the next torchbearer for South American tennis and is tipped to win big in the coming years.

He is also often compared with others of his age group, like Jakub Mensik, who at 19 is already a Masters 1000 champion. A thunderous Brazilian crowd follows whenever he plays, and he grabs the spotlight of the media.

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