NEYMAR DEFENDS HIMSELF AND SHOOTS LUANA PIOVANI: “MAL AMADA SPEAKS”

After being eliminated in the third round of Roland Garros , João Fonseca acknowledged that his lack of experience played a role in his defeat to British player Jack Draper , number 5 in the world. The Brazilian was defeated 3 sets to 0 and said goodbye to the tournament with the best performance of an athlete under 19 in this edition.

It lacked a little more experience..."

Visibly frustrated, Fonseca admitted that he felt nervous and was unable to adapt to the match : “I really wanted to win, I really wanted to go through to the next round, and I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the match. I don’t think there was a lack of effort, I think there was a lack of experience, knowing how to deal with the beginning of the sets, the beginning of the games, maybe playing with more margin”, said the tennis player after the match.

JACK DRAPER'S GREAT GAME

The Rio native struggled at various points during the match, especially when returning serve. Draper won six games on the Brazilian's serve, while Fonseca only had two break chances and didn't take advantage of any of them.

“He (Draper) ended up loosening up a bit more and that ended up putting a bit of pressure on me . I couldn’t find a way to score points right at the beginning. It took me a while to adapt on the court. Maybe I played a bit wrong at the beginning of the sets,” he added.

GRASS SEASON IS THE NEXT CHALLENGE

Now, Fonseca turns his attention to the short grass court season . His first commitment will be the ATP 500 in Halle, Germany, which starts on June 16. Then he will compete in the ATP 250 in Eastbourne, England, before facing Wimbledon, starting on June 30. “ Now it’s time to keep working , talk to the team, visualize the match. Obviously, watch the match again and see where I went wrong and keep working,” concluded the young tennis player.

British player Jack Draper , number 5 in the world, confirmed his favoritism and eliminated João Fonseca from the main draw of Roland Garros this Saturday (1st). With partial scores of 6/2, 6/4 and 6/2, Draper advanced to the round of 16 of the French Grand Slam , while the 18-year-old Brazilian says goodbye with the best campaign of an athlete under 19 years old in the 2025 edition.

Fonseca , currently ranked 65th in the ATP , participated in the tournament for the first time and attracted attention by winning his first two matches without losing sets , an unprecedented feat for a tennis player of his age this century at Roland Garros.

DRAPER IMPOSES DOMINANCE FROM THE BEGINNING

Draper, 23, is at the peak of his career . In 2024, he won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 and was runner-up in Madrid, in addition to being a semifinalist at the US Open at the end of last year. Against Fonseca, he showed why he is one of the main names of the season: he served efficiently, had total control of the points and dominated the baseline.

In the first set, Draper broke the Brazilian's serve twice and won 6-2 in just 30 minutes. João committed 16 unforced errors and had only three winners in the set, while the British player had a practically error-free game.

In the second set, Fonseca showed more consistency , but was broken again at a decisive moment . At 5/4 against, he had two break chances, but did not take advantage . Draper closed it at 6/4. In the third set, Fonseca felt the strain — especially after the previous game against Herbert, which lasted almost four hours. The British player broke early on and kept up the pace until closing it again at 6/2.

PROMISING CAMPAIGN AND KEEP AN EYE ON THE GRASS

Despite the elimination, João Fonseca leaves Roland Garros with a positive balance . In his debut, he beat Hubert Hurkacz (seed 30) and, in the second round, he beat the Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert , both by 3-0.

This was the Brazilian's second appearance at a Grand Slam . In January, at the Australian Open, he beat Andrey Rublev in his debut, but lost in the following round. Now, Fonseca begins preparations for the grass court season , which culminates with Wimbledon , the third Grand Slam of the year, starting in July.

This past Saturday (31), Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the highlights in the Spanish F1 GP. The driver managed to take Sauber to Q2 in qualifying once again and will start in 12th place in this Sunday's race (1) at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. Thus, this will be the rookie's best starting position since his debut in Formula 1.

CAR UPDATES MAY HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE

Bortoleto's improvement on the starting grid can be attributed to his talent and the new car updates provided by Sauber for this race. The Brazilian said that the changes made a difference this past Saturday (31) and believes that the Swiss team has evolved.

Great rating from the team...

" I think they did make a difference. First of all, I'm very happy. It was a great qualifying session for the team and for me, the best qualifying session of the year for me . We brought an update that practically keeps us out of Q1. I was in tenth when I got through Q1 (to Q2). The car has improved ," he told “Band”.

BORTOLETO STRESSES WAITING FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SAUBER CAR

After Saturday's race, Bortoleto said he expects the development of the Sauber car to continue and already has in mind a possible qualification for Q3 (the last stage of qualifying with the top ten finishers) in the future.

" We have to continue this development, try to bring another update soon. If we can get to Q3 I will be very happy. It is a track where we did very well, we have to see how this aerodynamic package goes next time. But I am very happy, it was a great placing, very solid ", he concluded.

In addition to achieving his best ever performance in a Formula 1 qualifying session, Bortoleto also equaled Nico Hulkenberg 's result in China. On that occasion, the German also put Sauber in 12th place on the grid.