PARIS (AP) — João Fonseca’s breakthrough performance at the French Open was just what tennis needs more of.The 19-year-old brought a new level of buzz to the sport with his vocal Brazilian fans, blistering forehands and a comeback victory for the ages over 39-year-old Novak Djokovic.“The world is on his shoulders. People want him so bad to do well all over the world,” John McEnroe told reporters, adding that American TV broadcaster TNT was hoping he would reach the final: “That’s how big he’s become.”Fonseca, however, ran out of energy in a straight-sets loss to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals late Tuesday.A drop in level was understandable after Fonseca twice rallied from two sets down, first against Dino Prizmic in the second round and then against Djokovic in the third round — having never won a five-set match before.In the fourth round, Fonseca eliminated two-time runner-up Casper Ruud.
“My mentality is on the right path,” Fonseca said after getting beat by Mensik.With about 1.5 million viewers on ESPN Brazil, the match vs. Mensik earned the biggest-ever rating for a tennis event on cable TV in the country.
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