"The first time Federer played on Centre Court was against Sampras..." - Tim Henman makes stark Fonseca comparison after breakthrough Grand Slam result against Djokovic

Joao Fonseca is getting esteemed praises from some of the most notable names in tennis after coming back from a two-set deficit and defeating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 7-3, 7-5, 7-5 in the third round of Roland Garros. Former British number one Tim Henman compared this match to Roger Federer's breakthrough back in 2001 against Pete Sampras.

The Brazilian was up against it when falling two sets down. It was a very open draw with Djokovic the only former Grand Slam champion left in it. However, this would not be the case much longer as he started to 'run out of gas' and Fonseca capitalised. He battled back valiantly on Court Philippe Chatrier to pull off another incredible result in this mesmerising French Open tournament.

Henman would react to this match in awe, like many tennis fans around the world, as Fonseca once more showed his capabilities on the big stage. The 19-year-old has been hyped for some time now and many believe he is the one to break the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Henman reminisced on Federer's breakthrough. The 20-time Grand Slam champion did not pick his first up until Wimbledon 2003, but as a 19-year-old he left an ever-lasting impression with a five-set win over the number one seed Sampras at SW19 enroute to the last-eight where, coincidentally, he lost to Henman.

"The first time Federer played on Centre Court was against Sampras, and the first time Fonseca’s been out on Chartier, it’s against Djokovic," Henman analysed on TNT Sports. "It reminded me of it a little bit… he's got to savour this moment.”

After winning a second ATP title at the Swiss Indoors last year, he was labelled by many as the 'next Djokovic'. Henman was quick to brush these claims off at the time, but now sees them through a different perspective.

"He’s taken it to a whole different level. It’s the result of his life. We have been waiting for him to make a big breakthrough at the Grand Slams, and this is it," he commented.

"He doesn’t have a massive amount of experience at Grand Slams and to be two sets down and maintain the belief and keep fighting, and then slowly turn it around, and in the biggest moments in the fifth set… unbelievable performance.”

Former world number one Mats Wilander was in total awe of Fonseca and was bewildered about his mentality and physical condition to come through a gruelling five-set match against one of the greatest to ever do it on the big stage.

"The fact that he can play like this for five sets is unbelievable," Wilander said. "He physically is very strong and his mind is very strong. He's very smart, he's very strong. He loves to compete, and he loves to bring the crowd; he understands the crowd's support, and he understands how important it is for him. And not just for him, for our sport. It's massively important to have a South American back at the top."

The result itself was huge, but the moment was also significant. ”This is a huge, huge moment, obviously easily the biggest moment, but it's much bigger than just winning a tennis match when you beat Novak Djokovic, Philippe Chatrier, people are still talking about him, possibly winning his 25th Grand Slam, and then you go out there and you're down two sets to love again... I mean, that's two matches in a row that he's done that.

The Swede was already looking towards the future, wanting to know how he backs this up. ”So this is the real deal, and he is the real deal for me. The question is: how does he react? How does he react after this big bombshell?” Two-time finalist Casper Ruud is up next for Fonseca.