Tim Henman makes lavish comparison after Joao Fonseca beats Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros
Joao Fonseca has long been failed as a future star of the men’s game and now he has announced his time has come after a sensational win against Novak Djokovic at the French Open.
Fonseca came from two sets behind to beat Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, leaving the 24-time Grand Slam champion frustrated as he dared to believe this could be the tournament when his elusive 25th major title would arrive.
With Carlos Alcaraz out injured and Jannik Sinner surprisingly beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Thursday, the door was open for Djokovic to win another major title at the age of 39.
Yet speaking on TNT Sports and HBO Max, former British No 1 Henman suggested the win for Fonseca over Djokovic felt like a passing of the baton momemt to compared to Roger Federer’s famous win against Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2021.
“Federer beat Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001… to Fonseca coming out against Djokovic, it sort of reminds me of that a little bit,” said Henman, speaking on TNT Sports during live coverage of Roland Garros.
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“First time Federer played on Centre Court was against Sampras. The first time Fonseca’s been out on Chartier, it’s against Dokovic.
“He’s got to savour this moment. He showed unbelievable maturity on the court, the way he played, the way he spoke after, you, on his mum’s birthday. I mean, you couldn’t [write it], I don’t know who writes his scripts, but they are good.
“I think this was just incredible that he was able to keep showing the athletic ability in one area that touched on, and I was a little bit unsure was his fitness and his overall movement.”
Grand Slam winner great Mats Wilander also gave his verdict on Fonseca’s win, as he saluted the Brazilian teenager’s biggest shot.
“The fact that he can play like this for five sets is unbelievable,” said Wilander, also on TNT Sports.
“He physically is very strong. But the reason I said it was because I think his mind is very strong. He’s very smart, he’s very strong. He loves to compete, and he loves to bring the crowd; he understands the crowd’s support, and he understands how important it is for him.
“And not just for him, for our sport. It’s massively important to have a South American back at the top.
“I’d say Fonseca was a little bit more positive than Novak. Novak had his moments, but then Novak would keel over, and I think the crowd then went on to Joao [Fonseca].
“They were screaming either Joao or Nole, I’m not sure which one, but it seemed like they were doing both. But Fonseca just does it at the right time. He says, ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, give me some love’. Perfect, perfect behaviour.
“The fans were louder of for Fonseca. Maybe the Novak fans are a little bit older in age, and they might be sitting on their hands a little bit more, but definitely the loudest fans were Fonseca’s.
“He’s got the right mindset. His serve as improved tremendously. There was no way he could hit aces like that last year, but he went for it.
“The forehand is something that’s just out of this world. He can hit it both ways. He can hit it from high up, you can hit it from way down low. I mean Have you seen a better forehand than this?
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“Last year, I thought he had a bit of a lull. I thought that he was maybe overplaying a little bit, that he was trying to go for too much. Maybe the hype got to him a little bit.
“He’d be the only one that would know that, obviously, but I thought he overplayed a little bit. I wasn’t sure about his movement, but his movement has gotten much better.”
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