He’s on everyone’s lips and still hasn’t had enough: “Of course my expectations are higher now. I want more and more”said Joao Fonseca after his impressive debut on the Grand Slam stage in Melbourne: “I think that’s the mentality of a champion.”
Fonseca’s self-confidence is no coincidence. After all, the qualifier had beaten a top 10 player in his first round match at the Australian Open. Andrej Rublew hardly gave the daredevil from Brazil a chance with a smooth 7:6 (7:1), 6:3, 7:6 (7:5) and put up impressive statistics: he hit a total of 51 winners in 2:23 hours Playtime.
Carlos Alcaraz goes into raptures
A performance that also made Carlos Alcaraz rave: “What can I say? That was just unbelievable”said the Spanish top star: “It’s only the beginning of the year, just one Grand Slam win, but he will do it. We will add Joao Fonseca’s name to the list of the best players in the world very soon.”
“My first win at a Grand Slam, my first win against a top 10 player, my first time in the main draw of a Grand Slam”Fonseca said: “So everything is new for me, but I played a good match.” He be “very satisfied” with his mentality, said the 18-year-old, who also played well in the tiebreaks.
Fonseca’s victory, as impressive as it ultimately was, did not come out of nowhere. He had already won twelve times in a row, although not at ATP Tour level – he walked through the qualification effortlessly and without losing a set.
Fonseca is already winning like Sinner and Alcaraz
The 18-year-old, who was already considered a top talent, had already caused quite a stir at the NextGen Finals in Saudi Arabia, finishing 48th and 20th there with Jakub Mensik (Czech Republic) and Arthur Fils (France), among others World ranking defeated.
Along with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Fonseca is the only one who was able to win the Junior Masters – where the best players aged 20 or younger compete – at the age of 18. But that’s not the only reason why the teenager will soon be considered on a par with the two top players – and that’s exactly where he sees himself in the foreseeable future.
“My dream is to be number one”
“It’s incredible how I’ve improved both physically and mentally. I’m proud of myself, but of course I want more. My dream is to be number one”said Fonseca after his triumph in Jeddah. The South American has aligned his entire environment with this in mind and he is already being looked after in a highly professional manner – this also means that he appears to be a little more reserved in his choice of words.
This is also supported by the fact that Fonseca restricts his social media accounts during his tournaments. His objective therefore now sounds more muted. “I know there is still a lot ahead of me. I have world ranking and title goals, but these are more personal things that I discuss with my coach. I prefer not to talk about them so as not to raise expectations.”said Fonseca in an interview with the Brazilian portal “Estadão”.
Joao Fonseca wins the Next Gen ATP Finals
Parents enable Fonseca to pursue a tennis career
The tennis player is lucky that his parents give him the security he needs in everything away from the court. His father is a financial specialist and, among other things, founded a company that also specializes in real estate investments. Fonseca’s mother organizes sporting events, and they both manage his career – now together with an agent – and give him the resources he needs to be successful.
“Luckily I have my parents who help me with the money, which is quite a lot”said Fonseca. You have to be able to afford a tennis career despite all the travel. But this career is increasingly standing on its own two feet because Fonseca now has a large sponsor portfolio – especially for his age. In addition, the prize money is slowly starting to come in; around 500,000 euros were awarded for his victory in Saudi Arabia.
Joao Fonseca is Brazil’s new tennis hope.
Compare with “Guga” Kuerten
Around the turn of the millennium, Brazil had its last top-level tennis player, Gustavo Kuerten – in 2025, Fonseca is scheduled to take the next steps into these regions. He is already being pushed in his homeland and openly compared to “Guga”. But Fonseca himself is trying to free himself from it.
Gustavo Kürten won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001.
“Whenever a young person achieves great things, here in Brazil they are quickly labeled as a promise. I want to play my tennis, live the sport and keep my routine. Every athlete has his own time”said Fonseca. And his could come now.