Fonseca Aware of His Progress: "I Feel Much Better on the Court"

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 20/03/2025 à 09h08

2 min to read

Fonseca Miami

Emerging as a revelation on the ATP Tour over the past few months, 18-year-old João Fonseca has established himself as one of the players to watch in the coming months and years. Crowned champion in Buenos Aires in February, the Brazilian also defeated a top 10 player in a Grand Slam, namely Rublev at the Australian Open.

Before entering the fray at the Miami Masters 1000 against Learner Tien in a rematch of the Next Gen ATP Finals final, Fonseca spoke to Tennis TV media and reflected on his progress over the past few months, which has allowed him to break into the top 60.

"Now that I’m in the top 100, I can say that the main difference between the top 10, top 20 players and the rest is consistency. The mental aspect is very important, even though the physical side shouldn’t be overlooked. On that front, it will come with time.

The João from a year ago was very skinny and didn’t have a single muscle. Now, I feel much better on the court, I’m capable of playing Grand Slam matches in best-of-five sets. I’ve made good progress.

As for the mental side, I think that will also come with experience. This is only my second full season on the ATP Tour, so it’s good to have these new experiences in these big tournaments. It’s my first time here in Miami.

The goal is to enjoy every moment, to get to know new tournaments. I think playing against top 50, top 20, and even top 10 players will help me gain more experience at that level, and my mental strength can only improve," he assured.