Fonseca on Djokovic and Alcaraz's words to him: "It means I'm on the right track".
João Fonseca is sure to be one of the players to watch closely in the 2025 season.
The 18-year-old Brazilian broke into the top 100 at the Australian Open (where he beat Andrey Rublev in the first round) and won his first ATP title last week in Buenos Aires.
However, Fonseca suffered a major disappointment at his home ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro. Quarter-finalist last year at the same event, Fonseca was defeated in his opening match by France's Alexandre Muller.
A defeat that does not alter João Fonseca's meteoric rise, which has seen several tour players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, mention the Brazilian player.
In particular, the Serb said he loved the way Fonseca played the important points, and that it was important for a country like Brazil (which has seen Kuerten win Grand Slams) to have such a talented player.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Fonseca spoke of his potential for improvement.
"Technically speaking, my best shot is certainly my forehand. But I think beyond that, it's showing maturity, that important moment when I have to play in such and such a way, a point where I have to be braver, where I feel comfortable.
The aim is to show my opponents that I'm strong even when I'm tired, and this mental work is one of my best weapons.
But I also think that I still have a lot of things to improve: going to the net, serving, my movements, the return and so on.
There are things in the game that you learn by experience, by paying attention to the important moment in the match when you have to go and get the ball, by being braver than the guy in front of you.
I think these things come naturally. The fact that players like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz talk about me gives me the confidence to go even further.
Wow, Alcaraz said that about me, Djokovic said that about me. It means I'm on the right track. It's gratifying to hear these comments from such important people in our sport," Fonseca assures us.
