Joao Fonseca, the rising Brazilian tennis star, expressed a wish to have played for his idol, Roger Federer, during the pivotal moments of the 2019 Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic. Fonseca believes that had he been in Federer’s position, he could have secured the victory by serving an ace when Federer held a 40-15 lead in the fifth set.
During that memorable match, Federer broke Djokovic’s serve and seemed poised to clinch his ninth Wimbledon title. However, despite having two championship points, he was unable to convert, allowing Djokovic to break back and ultimately win the match 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3).
As he prepares for his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals, the 18-year-old Fonseca has played 14 ATP-level matches this season, recording 39 aces alongside 25 double faults. Reflecting on the 2019 final, he told ATP, “The match I wish I could have played in is the one in 2019, when Roger had match point against Djokovic at Wimbledon. I want to change history.”
Last year, Djokovic acknowledged that Federer was “the better player” on that day but managed to find a way to win.
Fonseca, currently ranked No. 145 in the world and a recent Challenger title winner in Lexington, has long admired Federer. In a September interview with Tennis World Italy, he stated, “As a child, I always watched a lot of Roger Federer matches. He was the player I enjoyed watching the most because he always made tennis look easy. He is an idol for me.”
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