Joao Fonseca reveals one major trait from Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer he follows to make his game better

Joao Fonseca reached the third round of the 2025 French Open emphatically on Friday (May 29), beating local favorite Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets. Following his victory, the Brazilian gave a nod to Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer for their ability to maintain composure at all times—a quality that he has also adopted at the bare age of 18.

Fonseca has recorded his first-ever showing in the Round of 32 of a Grand Slam tournament this week by beating more experienced players like Hubert Hurkacz and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets. The World No. 65 showed impressive resilience during his latest win on Friday, overturning a break deficit in the first two sets of his bout against his French opponent before eventually coming through 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 in two hours and 56 minutes.

During his post-match press conference after his second-round win in Paris, Joao Fonseca fielded questions surrounding his positive body language, which is unusual for someone of his age. In response, the Brazilian teen prodigy claimed that his coach would regularly make him watch videos of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. He also shared his own tidbits on how to stay level-headed in the face of pressure.

"My coach talks to me a lot about body language. We see a lot of Rafa Nadal and Djokovic and Federer. Those guys, the body language they have is just incredible. We need to follow their steps," Joao Fonseca told the media in Paris earlier on Friday. "You need to stay positive. There’s gonna be bad moments. There’s gonna be good moments. You need to stay positive all the time."

The 18-year-old added that his positive outlook towards his practice sessions had also shaped his mental performance during matches.

"It’s one thing I practice a lot. Also in practices when the practice is difficult or I’m playing bad, I just try to stay positive and focus on what I need to do," he said. "On matches I try to stay positive all the time, focus on the good things, and what I can improve."

Fonseca will next face fifth-seeded Jack Draper for a place in the second week of the 2025 French Open. The Brit defeated the Brazilian 6-4, 6-0 en route to his title victory at the Indian Wells Masters in March.

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Brazilians find a way to manage themselves when in trouble, says Joao Fonseca

Joao Fonseca celebrates during his French Open 2R win | Image Source: Getty

In his comments to the ATP Tour after reaching the third round in Paris, João Fonseca gave fans a further look into his mindset while talking about the gap between top 50 and top 10 pros.

“I would say Brazilians, when they are in trouble, they find a way to manage themselves. In important moments I just try to be brave, to be [courageous]," Joao Fonseca told ATP. "In the second-set tie-break, I was 3/0 down. I did some amazing shots. I think that's the difference between the good guys in the Top 50 from the Top 10: They need to be brave, they need to know how to play in important moments."

Fonseca now holds a 3-1 win/loss record in the best-of-five format, having upset then-World No. 9 Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open earlier this year.