Fonseca after his elimination at the Australian Open: "It's my dream to play the same competitions as the top 50 players".

João Fonseca's Australian Open dream has come to an end. The 18-year-old Brazilian, winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals in recent weeks, was playing in his first Grand Slam after emerging from qualifying.

After a resounding first-round victory over top-10 player Andrey Rublev, the 112th-ranked Brazilian fell to Lorenzo Sonego in five sets in the second round.

Speaking at the press conference, Fonseca was keen to draw positives from his experience in Melbourne: "Lorenzo's experience made the difference. It came down to a few points that he won.

When you go to the fifth set in a match like this, experience is the key. I played well in the first set, but then the next two were too easy for him.

I'd say the fifth was 50/50, but I need more experience. I'll have to work on my ability to stay focused throughout a match.

That's the main change when you play a Grand Slam," Fonseca asserted.

The man on the verge of breaking into the top 100 also asserts his ambitions: "My main objective is to play in the big tournaments.

It's my dream to be on the circuit, and to play the same competitions as the players in the top 50. The Masters 1000, the ATP 500 and 250, I want to make a living from this passion.

I'm excited by the idea of being in the top 100, of taking part in the most prestigious events.

Now I have to keep working to go even further, to reach an even higher ranking," Fonseca concludes in front of journalists.