Joao Fonseca Says Winning His First Main Draw Match at Wimbledon Is “A Dream Come True”

Joao Fonseca made it into the second round of the Wimbledon Championships for the first time in his career.

Joao Fonseca Says Winning His First Main Draw Match at Wimbledon Is “A Dream Come True”

Joao Fonseca (Image via X/Tennis Channel)

Joao Fonseca continued his impressive run by beating British Jacob Fearnley in his debut at the Wimbledon Championships main draw. The Brazilian teenager has now won at least one match in every Grand Slam tournament he has played in this year. He revealed after the win in SW19 that it was a dream come true for him.

A year ago, Fonseca was ranked below the Top 200 of the ATP rankings, and he failed to make his debut (main draw) at Wimbledon last year as he suffered a first-round loss in the qualifying rounds. However, things have changed since then for the 18-year-old, who’s currently ranked World No.54, a career-high.

At the All England Club on Monday (June 30), Fonseca began his quest to reach the second round of the grass-court Grand Slam. He began well, hitting with power and adapting to Fearnley’s style of play. He won the first set, only to increase the tempo in the second set.

In the third set, the British star came all out, eager to extend the match to a fourth set. In fact, he had that almost accomplished, while leading 6-5 (40/30), but failed to serve for the match, which allowed Fonseca to get into the match and claim a 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(5) win. With this win, he became the first 18-year-old to reach the second round of Wimbledon since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021.

After the win, Fonseca was very excited with the way he held his nerve in the tiebreak of the third set. He revealed during his press conference that the win was a dream come true and the tournament was his favorite:

For me this tournament is a dream. Everything you can see is perfect, even the flowers. Every detail is just perfect. When you come here, you just see how amazing it is. It’s just a dream come true. It’s for sure my favourite Grand Slam because of the culture and the history of Wimbledon. Every kid who plays tennis and wants to be a professional wants to come here.

Fonseca has now been to the second round of all the Grand Slams played this year. He opened his tour-level campaign by beating Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open before exiting in the second. At the French Open, he won his first two opening matches before losing to Jack Draper in straight sets.

Joao Fonseca says Wimbledon win feels super special to him

Ahead of the Wimbledon Championship, there was not much optimism for Joao Fonseca due to his struggles on grass. He had competed in just four tour-level matches on the surface and was facing Jacob Fearnley, who had more experience than he did. But that was no problem for the Brazilian as he brought his clean-hitting game against the Brit.

Joao Fonseca 4
Joao Fonseca (via X/TNT Sports)

During his on-court interview, he revealed that it was a pleasure for him to win his first match at Wimbledon, having watched the event since his childhood:

It means a lot. It’s super special for me. It’s my favourite Grand Slam since my childhood. I’ve been watching all the matches, so it’s just a pleasure being here. I’m sorry for winning against a British guy, but thanks a lot for the support here. Thanks for respecting the tennis today. Jacob is a great friend, a great player and I’m looking forward to my next meetings against him.

Fonseca will face Jenson Brooksby in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships. The American earned his place after beating the Mallorca Open champion Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.

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