PARIS — Green and yellow shirts all over Roland Garros. Chants in Portuguese echoing like in a football stadium. Long queues just to catch a glimpse of Joao Fonseca at the cathedral of clay-court tennis. Brazilians are once again bringing joy to the international tour, fuelled by Fonseca-mania. A true phenomenon.
Brazilian fans are clear on one thing: the wait is over.
The memory of Gustavo ‘Guga’ Kuerten is especially alive in Paris, where the former world No. 1 was a surprise champion in 1997. He lifted the trophy again in 2000 and 2001.
It’s not that fans necessarily expect Fonseca to win three Grand Slams or become world No. 1. What they’re grateful for is being back on the big stages, supporting a player who challenges top stars and gives them hope for deep runs at the sport’s most important events.
The 18-year-old’s third-round loss on Saturday to an in-form Jack Draper doesn’t dampen the excitement.
“We bought tickets specifically to see Fonseca on Court Simonne Mathieu,” Ricardo, a fan from São Paulo, told CLAY. Wearing a Corinthians football shirt, he shared that he named his dog “Guga.”
At the last minute, Roland Garros organizers moved the match against the world No. 5 to Court Suzanne Lenglen. So Ricardo and his wife Priscila joined a large group of Brazilians gathered outside the second biggest stadium, following the match on big screens and creating their own party.
The Fonseca fever was already evident in the first two rounds. His debut against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz was unfortunately scheduled on Court 7, which holds just 1,500 people. An unforced error by the tournament, which underestimated the high demand.
Fans queued for hours around the court, and many were left without the chance to see the world No. 65 in action. Others improvised and watched the match from the upper floors of the Philippe Chatrier building—an a spontaneous viewing spot.
¡AY, JOAO! 🥹
🇧🇷 Fonseca ganó en el día del cumpleaños de su madre y así reaccionó en la entrevista postpartido. ❤️🩹#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/NL1i4VhMqo
— ESPN Tenis (@ESPNtenis) May 29, 2025
“Brazilian fans are passionate about football and sports in general. When you see an 18-year-old beating a top 10 player like Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open and playing beautiful tennis with heart and spirit, the crowd falls in love. Joao is transforming Brazilian tennis, and people are following him,” says ESPN Brazil tennis journalist Matheus Castro.
Two days later, in the second round, Brazilian fans outcheered the locals during the match against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Court 14, the fourth largest at Roland Garros, turned into a Davis Cup-like atmosphere.
“Joao is like a kid, full of joy. He plays with the crowd. When he won the US Open junior title, he shouted ‘This is Brazil!’ in the United States! He knows how to play with the crowd, and that generates interest,” adds Castro.
Bruno and Gabriel Hohmann, a Brazilian father and son living in Paris, searched for Joao Fonseca’s name on the main draw board displayed for fans. “He brings back memories of Guga’s era,” Bruno told CLAY. Both wore Brazil’s national football team jerseys.
“Joao brings youth, charisma. He talks to people… he respects people. He’s very young, going on the right direction,” says Bruno.
“Entire Brazil followed Guga, and I think the same is starting to happen with Joao.”
“Whenever we do well in sports beyond football, Brazilians get fully invested. It happened with Ayrton Senna in Formula 1. It happened in the Guga years. It happened with volleyball too. Brazil brings that passion, that eagerness to support its athletes,” he adds.
“He’s like a hero to us!” says Andrea. A Brazilian tennis fan wearing a green shirt with the word “Fonsequizado” in yellow letters. Alongside her husband Rodrigo and friends Elena and Francisco. All of them celebrate having a rising star to represent them.
“We don’t just follow him for the powerful, stylish tennis he plays—he’s also a great person. People already love him in Brazil,” she explains.
“We’ve waited 20 years for a player of this calibre, someone who creates this kind of atmosphere,” Francisco adds. “Just like Guga.”
