Joao Fonseca will make history this week in Jeddah as the first Brazilian to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Ahead of his campaign, the young star reflected on the iconic 2019 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Reflecting on the four-hour, 55-minute thriller that captivated fans at Centre Court, Fonseca expressed to be in the 20-time Major champion’s shoes, confident he could have sealed the championship point with an ace.

“The one in 2019, when Roger had match point against [Novak] Djokovic at Wimbledon. I wish I would be Roger, so I could make an ace at 40/15 [on championship point]. I want to change history!”

Both icons delivered gritty performances and looked eager to claim the London Major. Djokovic took the first set 7-6(5), but Federer responded with a dominant 6-1 win in the second. The Serb edged a tightly contested third set 7-6(4), while the Swiss fought back to take the fourth 6-4. Despite Federer holding two championship points at 8-7, 40/15 on his serve, Djokovic ultimately triumphed in the final set 13-12(3) to claim the Grass Court Major.

Notably, this was the third Grand Slam clash in which Djokovic overcame two match points to prevail over Federer, including their meetings in the 2010 and 2011 US Open semifinals.

“If I had won, my life wouldn’t have changed”: Roger Federer on the Wimbledon clash against Novak Djokovic

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport in June this year, Roger Federer reflected on his 2019 Wimbledon final loss, expressing no regrets. The 43-year-old conceded that he might have handled the match points differently. However, he expressed profound gratitude for the success of his career and the immense joy tennis has brought to his life.

“I lost that match, but I think that if I had won, my life wouldn’t have changed anything. As a child I dreamed of one day playing at Wimbledon Central and winning the tournament. I didn’t expect to win it eight times and have so much success around the world. In the end, we talk about an extra prize. Obviously if I could play those match points again, I would do it differently, but the balance of my career is positive. I feel deep happiness and gratitude for tennis,” he said (via Tennis World USA).

Federer had earlier triumphed over Rafael Nadal in four sets in the semifinal. At the time, Djokovic led their head-to-head 26-22, eventually extending the tally to 27-23 before Federer’s retirement.