The Rio native is the first Brazilian man to be seeded at Roland-Garros since Thomaz Bellucci in 2011.
Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca returned to the Roland-Garros second round with a 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2 victory over qualifier Luka Pavlovic on Sunday.
Twelve months ago, ‘Fonseca fever’ gripped Roland-Garros with queues snaking around the perimeter of Court Philippe-Chatrier, fans hoping to catch a glimpse of his debut straight-sets triumph over No.30 seed Hubert Hurkacz.
From another carnival atmosphere, this time on Court Simonne-Mathieu, Fonseca emerged to set up a meeting with Croatian youngster Dino Prizmic.
“First round is always difficult, much more pressure, and playing against a guy that already came from qualies, so he played three matches before," the world No.30 said. "He was putting a lot of pressure on me from the very beginning with his serve. I was a set point down (at 5-6 in the tie-break) and I played well.
“I think that set was really important for the match," he added. "Since I won the set, I think his energy went down a little bit, and I felt a little bit more good on the court, felt good with my shots.
“I started the game with one level, and then I ended the game with another level, so that's a positive thing. Just happy the way that I stayed positive."
The colours and sounds on Court Simonne-Mathieu, with the mixture of Brazilian and French fans, served up a microcosm of what makes Grand Slam tennis so enthralling.
Zinedine Zidane football shirts for the French contingent appeared alongside Ronaldo-emblazoned jersey for the Fonseca supporters.
Then came the chants. ‘Joao Fon-se-ca’ has been booming out in stadiums across the world for the past 18 months. Pavlovic, competing in his Grand Slam debut, was supported by choruses of ‘Allez Luka’.
Neither the atmosphere nor the Brazilian's extensive firepower could hinder Pavlovic. The world No.241 was undeterred and used his own chipped drop shots to complement his firecracker serve.
The qualifier more than deserved the opening set tie-break, but couldn’t quite keep Fonseca at bay.
Joao Fonseca
Having taken the first set, Fonseca dictated play and showed why he has arrived in Paris as a seeded star.
The world No.30, a Masters 1000 quarterfinalist at Monte-Carlo last month, secured the straight-sets scoreline and let out a roaring celebration to the delight of the crowd.
“It’s just crazy that even though we are in France playing against a French guy, [there are] a lot of people cheering, a lot of people supporting. I see a lot of flags, I see a lot of t-shirts, this crowd was so loud. I can’t thank them enough," Fonseca said.
“The nerves were everywhere, but I could handle it. I’m very happy how I fought today. The support today helped me so much.
These Fonseca crowds bring a different energy to the courts; prepare for another carnival atmosphere when he meets Prizmic in the second round.
Away from Roland-Garros, Fonseca has plenty of work to do on the golf course, too. He has taken up the sport as an escape from the tour, having started at the Itanhanga Golf Club, which is conveniently on the site of his tennis training centre back in Rio.
"It's terrible," Fonseca said, laughing. "I don't even have a handicap right now. But I like doing simulator sometimes. When you go to the golf course, it takes a lot of time and it's something that we don't usually have.
"I normally go to the simulator during a tournament. It's okay. I find some in Rome, I found [one] in Madrid. It's something to relax. None of my coaches like it very much. I just go alone. Me and my mom sometimes. I feel good in it, but I'm still very bad!"
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
