Fonseca before the France-Brazil Davis Cup: "I'm proud to represent my country".

France take on Brazil this weekend in Orléans as part of the Davis Cup.

The favourites on paper, with three French players in the top 30 of the ATP rankings (Humbert, Fils and Mpetshi Perricard), France will nevertheless have to be wary of their opponents, led by the young revelation João Fonseca, 18 and winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals at the end of December.

Fonseca put in one of his first outstanding performances, eliminating top-10 player Andrey Rublev in his very first Grand Slam main draw match at the Australian Open.

For the official Davis Cup website, he talked about what led him to take up tennis before playing against Les Bleus.

"I thought I'd be one of those young Brazilians who'd go and play soccer in Copacabana, but I never seriously thought about a career in the sport.

Then I got injured and decided that soccer was definitely not for me. It was too dangerous for me, and that's how tennis came about.

My parents are big sports fans. They played a lot of different sports, and I did too. I surfed, climbed, played tennis...

Until I was 11 or 12, I was more focused on soccer, but as soon as I started playing tennis, I found it interesting.

Things have gone well and I'm optimistic for the future, but I mustn't rush things. I need to focus match by match, tournament by tournament.

You have to remain humble and calm. My dream is to become number 1 in the world, just like everyone else. You have to keep your feet on the ground and stay with the right people who can help you achieve your goals.

I have incredible support in Brazil and at every tournament I play, whether it's in Australia, the United States or even England.

I feel like Brazilians are everywhere to support me. I'm proud to represent my country.