At least for now is Fonseca overrated

kangaroo1973

Professional
This guy is ridiculously hyped, and I do not know why tbh.
Killer FH sure,, but extremely inconsistent, like every third FH is a homerun.
BH is okay. Questionable mentality. Decent serve and okay return.
And he is extremely inconsistent.
I know that he is still extremely young, but I do not really get the hype. Some young guns look way more promising to me. Tien for example. Fonseca is a baseline ball basher.
 
This guy is ridiculously hyped, and I do not know why tbh.
Killer FH sure,, but extremely inconsistent, like every third FH is a homerun.
BH is okay. Questionable mentality. Decent serve and okay return.
And he is extremely inconsistent.
I know that he is still extremely young, but I do not really get the hype. Some young guns look way more promising to me. Tien for example. Fonseca is a baseline ball basher.
This is TTW, it is what we do.

That said, his game was never going to consistent. I think they hyped his game more than his projection. Meaning they believe he can win big matches against anyone, but wont have crazy numbers winning 5 or more slams.
 
At the moment it seems like something in his strategy is off. Not sure if he's worse than average at anticipating incoming shots, hitting the ball to places that make it easier for his opponents to hit winners, or what. However, it seems like everyone he plays becomes a drop shot god and has an easy time hitting winners off of redirecting his pace.

The alternative is just that his movement isn't up to par yet. I'm not sure if that will define his career or if it's fixable.

Somehow he reminds me of Stan (more than the big 3), but when I watch Stan highlights he doesn't seem to get winners hit against him as often/easily. Not sure what the difference is yet.
 
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Haven’t really seen much hype here other than saying he has strong potential tbh. Tennis tv often lead with him in the highlights as he is exciting with his aggressive game and seems to draw a large rowdy crowd wherever he goes.

Of course some guys are going to be spotlighted from a young age and not pan out as big time winners, that is natural.
 
At the moment it seems like something in his strategy is off. Not sure if he's worse than average at anticipating incoming shots, hitting the ball to places that make it easier for his opponents to hit winners, or what. However, it seems like everyone he plays becomes a drop shot god and has an easy time hitting winners off of redirecting his pace.

The alternative is just that his movement isn't up to par yet. I'm not sure if that will define his career or if it's fixable.

Somehow he reminds me of Stan (more than the big 3), but when I watch Stan highlights he doesn't seem to get winners hit against him as often/easily. Not sure what the difference is yet.
Stan is the 5th best player in the last 20 years. That's probably the difference.
 
Haven’t really seen much hype here other than saying he has strong potential tbh. Tennis tv often lead with him in the highlights as he is exciting with his aggressive game and seems to draw a large rowdy crowd wherever he goes.

Of course some guys are going to be spotlighted from a young age and not pan out as big time winners, that is natural.
Posters here have hyped him big time – saying stuff like he'll be part of the new big 3 and that he'll be in the top 10 before 2026.
 
Posters here have hyped him big time – saying stuff like he'll be part of the new big 3 and that he'll be in the top 10 before 2026.
I would be surprised if he isn't top 10 within 2-3 years but this year is a tall order. It's his first season exposed to the top level and he's taking his lumps.
 
He's 18 years old, people really expect him to be consistent? I don't know how he is overrated if no one is rating his achievements at this point, the only thing people say is he can become a top player. Nobody said he is. I'm sure you can find tons of people saying Djokovic was "overrated" back in 2009/2010, or Federer back in 2002/2003, etc.
 
This guy is ridiculously hyped, and I do not know why tbh.
Killer FH sure,, but extremely inconsistent, like every third FH is a homerun.
BH is okay. Questionable mentality. Decent serve and okay return.
And he is extremely inconsistent.
I know that he is still extremely young, but I do not really get the hype. Some young guns look way more promising to me. Tien for example. Fonseca is a baseline ball basher.
I called him out months ago. Another Rune Tsitsipas Zverev.
 
Again, he's 18.
Perhaps, some should pump their brakes on immediate expectations, but brakes should also be pumped on critiquing him as if he's a finished product.
He's very talented, seems to be strong mentally for his age, and I'm excited to see what he will bring to the tour.
(The only thing I don't really see in his game is great movement -- but that may also improve, if not to an elite level.)
 
Again, he's 18.
Perhaps, some should pump their brakes on immediate expectations, but brakes should also be pumped on critiquing him as if he's a finished product.
He's very talented, seems to be strong mentally for his age, and I'm excited to see what he will bring to the tour.
(The only thing I don't really see in his game is great movement -- but that may also improve, if not to an elite level.)
His physique is a problem. He is going to be prone to putting weight on and he isnt explosively quick even now which to me is a major red flag moving forward. The raw explosive speed should already be there.
 
Again, he's 18.
Perhaps, some should pump their brakes on immediate expectations, but brakes should also be pumped on critiquing him as if he's a finished product.
He's very talented, seems to be strong mentally for his age, and I'm excited to see what he will bring to the tour.
(The only thing I don't really see in his game is great movement -- but that may also improve, if not to an elite level.)
He's 18 and what? Maybe they shouldn't hype him like he's a new Messiah of tennis?
Michael Chang already had 2 masters titles with 18.
 
He's 18 and what? Maybe they shouldn't hype him like he's a new Messiah of tennis?
Michael Chang already had 2 masters titles with 18.
Fonseca is the 7th youngest champion in the ATP Era (since 1990), with Chang being one of the six players ahead of him. When Fonseca won Buenos Aires earlier this year, he was just 3 months older than Alcaraz when he won Umag in 2021.
 
Because he is the hottest young player, Zverev was hyped like this back in 2016 to name an example. Nadal, Gasquet, Djokovic, Murray, etc were hyped before they had done much as well.
Nope, when Gasquet became the big thing with 15 they still didn't hype him like they hype Fonseca. The social media were not as powerful as they are now and the PR people weren't as shameless as they are today.
 
He's 18 and what? Maybe they shouldn't hype him like he's a new Messiah of tennis?
Michael Chang already had 2 masters titles with 18.
Okay. Fonseca is not the best 18.5-year-old player in ATP history.
Bookmark this thread. If when he retires Fonseca will have achieved less than Chang, I'll buy you a case of tennis balls.
 
Fonseca is the 7th youngest champion in the ATP Era (since 1990), with Chang being one of the six players ahead of him. When Fonseca won Buenos Aires earlier this year, he was just 3 months older than Alcaraz when he won Umag in 2021.
And? Capriarti was 14 when she won her first WTA title.
 
Nope, when Gasquet became the big thing with 15 they still didn't hype him like they hype Fonseca. The social media were not as powerful as they are now and the PR people weren't as shameless as they are today.
So it seems your frustration is more a case of living through a different time with more pervasive media, than it is with the player in question. You can be sure that any player that comes along now with a compelling game and some notable achievements at a young age, is going to get a lot of media attention both commercial and social. It would've been the same for Gasquet had tech and media been where they are now.
 
So it seems your frustration is more a case of living through a different time with more pervasive media, than it is with the player in question. You can be sure that any player that comes along now with a compelling game and some notable achievements at a young age, is going to get a lot of media attention both commercial and social. It would've been the same for Gasquet had tech and media been where they are now.
There's no frustration at all from my side. Fonseca has no notable achievements at a young age. At all.
And no it won't be the same with the Gasquet nowadays. Gasquest's father was not a multi millionaire who could invest sh*tload of money in his son's PR.
 
So it seems your frustration is more a case of living through a different time with more pervasive media, than it is with the player in question. You can be sure that any player that comes along now with a compelling game and some notable achievements at a young age, is going to get a lot of media attention both commercial and social. It would've been the same for Gasquet had tech and media been where they are now.
But same goes to every overhyped young player today. Be it Fonseca, Andreeva, Eala or Tien.
 
Fonseca's a talented kid, but he is over-hyped at the moment relative to his results. Tennis Channel's PR department are doing their best to build him and Eala on the WTA up as the next superstars in waiting, and both are failing the audition.

I've watched maybe half a dozen matches of Fonseca's matches this year, and whilst he has a huge forehand, the rest of his game needs work. Serve, backhand, forecourt game are all still quite raw. When you compare him to someone like Alcaraz at 18-19 years of age, they aren't even in the same postcode in terms of level and all-court ability. If you're going to give him the hype job, that's the sort of player and level he needs to be compared to, and it's not quite there.

He needs time and matches to develop.
 
There's no frustration at all from my side. Fonseca has no notable achievements at a young age. At all.
And no it won't be the same with the Gasquet nowadays. Gasquest's father was not a multi millionaire who could invest sh*tload of money in his son's PR.
I think it's more that organisations like the ATP are always looking for the next big thing to hype because it's good for business to have rising stars to promote. I don't go on X or watch much tennis content other than matches and highlights, and I don't feel like Fonseca or any of those other names you mentioned are overhyped to a point where it irks me.

In terms of achievements, he won the nextgen finals, has a title at age 18, and has beaten much higher ranked players like Rublev and Fils quite emphatically, all indicating he is a quality talent. It's enough to get some chat going unless the criterion is he has to come in and immediately start winning 1000s and slams.
 
Nope, when Gasquet became the big thing with 15 they still didn't hype him like they hype Fonseca. The social media were not as powerful as they are now and the PR people weren't as shameless as they are today.

Lol, Gasquet was hyped like crazy. He was on the cover of tennis magazines as a KID



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And like you said, no social media back then, if not, it would be even worse. Then he was still hyped in 2004 like crazy too. And in 2005 even more when he beat Fed in Montecarlo.

I can tell you Gasquet was hyped more than Fonseca. And I can also tell you Fonseca will achieve more.
 
Fonseca would not be Gasquet. I would have to be brain grade to say he would be next Gasquet.

Fonseca is next gen player, playing POWER game taking it to next level. Gasquet was some weird old gen player who was not suitable for modern baseline tennis. Fonseca is having best chance to be successful with his BOOMING forehand like del potro.

I have already made predictions. Top 30 by end of the year and top 10 in 2027 year end. The die is cast. Let's see.

Also after every single loss if someone loses NERVE, that person doesn't deserve to be tennis fan. Tennis players lose almost weekly. The gap between top 10 and top 50 is exponential and number 1 and top 10 is even bigger. Only some player like Fed in 2004-09, djokovic 2011-13 and sinner from 24 can stay unbeaten for long stretches. Everyone else bows down time to time. To say some 18 year old kid lost and now you have less expectations, I would say that shows your own intelligence.

On top of that to compare him to 80s players is a crime knowing how much the physicality has improved today. Even sinner couldn't do anything until he turned 22.
 
So when Sinner couldn't do anything till 22 and then became such a huge player , do spare me that you guys know much more than rest of us. 2 or 3 slams and stuff, like its a big loss if 3 slam winner is so bad.

Sinner did some things before age 22 but your point is valid anyway
 
How I think of these things is I think how everyone else also thinks .

Fonseca went to next gen finals and beat ALL players in his same age category. Why its important is these players are all at the beginning of their careers and are used to the pace of play at juniors level. Fonseca and rest of the next gen gang will find it tough vs seasoned veterans in first year and once they are used to the pace, they will start giving beatings on regular basis.

Even today Mensik is a masters champ and he lost in challenger r1 a week before.
 
How I think of these things is I think how everyone else also thinks .

Fonseca went to next gen finals and beat ALL players in his same age category. Why its important is these players are all at the beginning of their careers and are used to the pace of play at juniors level. Fonseca and rest of the next gen gang will find it tough vs seasoned veterans in first year and once they are used to the pace, they will start giving beatings on regular basis.

Even today Mensik is a masters champ and he lost in challenger r1 a week before.
Yeah, I feel like tennis also has IQ development that is needed. Seeing different weapons and tactics they are not used to at such a high level. Takes time and experience to figure out what and how to adapt to it.
 
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