Jack Draper braced for hot reception in French Open clash with Joao Fonseca
The 18-year-old Brazilian has a huge fan base at tournaments.
Jack Draper has already experienced the hysteria that follows his French Open third-round opponent Joao Fonseca around – and he was not even playing him at the time.
British number one Draper was taking on Czech youngster Jakub Mensik at the Miami Open when the match was interrupted after hundreds of fans started booing.
The noise was coming from a huge Brazilian contingent who had waited all day to watch teenage sensation Fonseca, only to realise his match had suddenly been moved to a different court.
“It was tough,” recalled Draper. “There was a couple of games in the match where they were booing very loudly and we didn’t know what was going on.
“The Miami Open got that one wrong. They’d been waiting all day, he was fourth on.
“I thought the crowd were there to watch me and when I rocked up to the court it was all ‘Joao Fonseca’, and I thought maybe they’re not for me. It’s incredible what he brings to the sport.”
If the queues snaking around Roland Garros towards Court 14 when Fonseca was beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert are anything to go by, then Draper, who silenced a raucous Paris crowd on Thursday night when he beat local hero Gael Monfils, is in for another hot reception.
Draper, who beat the 18-year-old at Indian Wells in their only previous meeting earlier this year, added: “I enjoy it, I love it, I feed off it. It bodes well with my competitive nature. I’m looking forward to playing him, he’s obviously a special player.
“I think I’m going to be playing him a lot. I think we’ll be seeing him at the back end of draws and right at the top of the game.
“Everyone can see his potential and the way he plays, some of the stuff he comes out with is very powerful, very dynamic, very explosive and I think that’s why it draws a lot of people to watch him. The huge fan base he brings from Brazil is great for the sport.
“I’ll expect him to know my game now, he’s played some really good stuff and kept rising up the rankings so it will be a tough challenge, especially in a grand slam on the clay.
“I’ll know what to expect and not have any surprises but it will be a tough challenge for sure.”
