João Fonseca praises Djokovic's physique: "We think he's 20 years old"

João Fonseca made history by eliminating Novak Djokovic in the third round of Roland Garros, this Friday (29). The 19-year-old Brazilian overcame the disadvantage in the first two sets and sought a surprising turnaround, winning by 3 sets to 2, with partials of 4/6, 4/6, 6/3, 7/5 and 7/5.

When asked how he managed to continue believing in victory when everything seemed lost, the tennis player was direct. "Actually, I didn't continue", he joked, visibly tired after 4h53min of play. "I just played and enjoyed being on the court, it was a huge pleasure."

This was the first time that the two faced each other, and João Fonseca took the opportunity to thank him for the opportunity to face the number four in the world. "It was my first time taking the court against him, so I just have to thank him and say that I'm very happy."

At 39 years old, Djokovic's physical intensity continues to impress even the main names on the circuit, including Fonseca. "Djokovic simply doesn't make mistakes, we still think he's 20 years old," he said. "I was just trying to hit the ball as hard as I could. At the end of the game, I think he was more physically whole than I was. It's crazy."

The Brazilian also revealed that he suffered from the heat at the beginning of the match and started to feel slower as it got dark in Paris. Despite this, he explained that the condition ended up helping with the power of the blows.

"As the day got darker, I felt a lot slower. And for me, that ended up being better, because I was able to produce a little more power. At first, I was still suffering a little from the heat. I would touch the ball and it would just go away, it felt like I wasn't feeling very well, but then I got better."

With the triumph, Fonseca advances to the round of 16 at Roland Garros and will face the winner of the match between Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul.

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Source: CNN