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João Fonseca News
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GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
Ok? What a failure he is for not matching the trajectory of the second greatest teenager this century. Alcaraz was way more physically developed at Fonseca's age.
KingCarlitos
Hall of Fame
I never called him a failure but people have been overrating him a bit thinking it’s secured that he will become one of the world’s best. This is simply not the case.
Juice4080
Semi-Pro
He will become one of the best in all likelihood. What we don't know is how long it will take. It may take longer than initially thought
KingCarlitos
Hall of Fame
Anything can happen, you can’t assume.
tennisjedi
Hall of Fame
GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
He also should have pushed Berrettini to a decider yesterday. Was up 4-0 in the tiebreak and didn't close it.
Tallawah Tennis
Professional
Clip of Joao's win DC tie with Netherlands:
tennisintheeighties
Semi-Pro
Future big 3 Alcaraz Sinner Fonseca in 2 years
GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
Joao has made the Top 150.
Still inconsistent with flashes of brilliance
I'm hoping he can set up a QF with fellow 18yo Landaluce in Lyon!
Still inconsistent with flashes of brilliance
I'm hoping he can set up a QF with fellow 18yo Landaluce in Lyon!
Shaolin
Talk Tennis Guru
GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
HE is Top 50 level on clay but on other surfaces he is still raw
GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
Highlights of his latest match
He was pretty clutch
He was pretty clutch
GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
I don't either and I watched the whole thing
albertobra
Hall of Fame
Well, let's bring it up.
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
Worth mentioning are the two easy victories against McDonald and Ajdukovic in the Canberra challenger.
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
Joao Fonseca; you will know his speed
First of all, you have to look at speed; that of the feet, that of the ball, that of the arm. Tennis is a sport of time and space, and some players, the best today, seem to strangle them. On the tennis court there doesn’t seem to be any more oxygen circulating, and for the opponents to compromise with this accelerated reality is not easy. The difference in level is noticeable on this: dealing with speed.
It is the first thing that strikes us, on a subconscious, epidermal level, even just watching a match. We realize that something is wrong. Some shots pass through the air too quickly; so quickly that we jump a little, from the television, as if faced with images that are too violent.
This feeling, a kind of misalignment of the rhythm of things, some change in physics, is offered to us by three players on the tennis court today: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca; that is, the number one, the number two and the player who yesterday, at 18, won the Next Gen ATP Finals, the tournament that announces the tennis champions of the future to the world. Fonseca has been said to be predestined since he was still a child. When he started breaking records for precocity we simply took note. The appearance, still distant, of a meteorite that sooner or later would hit the planet Earth. The victory of the Next Gen ATP Finals is another point of approach of this meteorite.
Joao Fonseca has curls and the cheeks of a cherub, in some ways he still looks younger than his 18 years. He looks like a baby enlarged with a laser beam, and transformed into a tennis player who hits a hard backhand and an even harder forehand. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything special about his playing style. After a while, however, you'll start to notice - precisely - his speed.
Fonseca was the youngest participant in the tournament, the only 2006 between 2005 and the two 2004s, Arthur Fils and Alex Michelsen - considered favorites if only for their greater experience. He was also the lowest ranked player, just number 145. He closed the tournament undefeated, earning a final prize pool of 500 thousand dollars. First of all he got rid of the number one candidate for victory, Arthur Fils, defeated in the first match to clarify the hierarchy. Fils is number 20 in the world and this year he has won two 500 tournaments. In Hamburg he beat Zverev in the final, confirming the idea that he is destined for a great future.
Fils is the youngest tennis player in the Top 20, and yet, despite being two years older than Fonseca - geological ages at that age - he seemed inferior to him. On a tangible level, the Brazilian seemed to be able to reach peaks of speed that Fils would have found unmanageable; on the intangible level he managed the decisive crossroads of the score better. «I think that in the important moments I played better. I entered the ball and played aggressively, as I always do». With the “killer point” format (i.e. without advantages on 40 all) it is an even more important quality. Maybe the different pressure also had an impact, with Fils who had everything to lose, but the power of certain exchanges remains.
The two had already met in Rio, and Fonseca had won the first set 6-0; also winning several games in advantage. After the set point, converted by a powerful drop shot, Fils had remained still for a while, trying to understand what was happening. After the victory, quick and in two sets, Fonseca knelt with his hands on his head, while the commentator announced: «New stuff for the tour». After Fils, in that tournament, Fonseca also beat a specialist like Cristian Garin, only to lose to Navone. At that time he was number 655 in the world.
But that was clay, the Brazilian's favorite surface, while this time they were playing on the very fast indoor cement of Jeddah. For this reason his success has even more value. Although Fils is one of the most talented players on the circuit, with Fonseca there was a clear difference in engine capacity. This is to underline that the player who is arriving does not have just any future but is a potential number one, Slam winner, tennis champion.
In Brazil he is nicknamed "the little Sinner" - "For his thin legs and powerful shots". Today his shots have become even more powerful but his legs are no longer so thin; at 18 years old Fonseca is already quite physically structured and in this tournament he demonstrated that he covers the court with an athleticism superior to more or less anyone else. This was especially seen in the match against Jakub Mensik, one of the players with the most brutal power on the circuit; Fonseca always managed to get to the ball a little before him - following an instinct in reading the trajectories, also that, of a phenomenon.
It may seem impressive that Sinner, at 23, has already produced a disciple, but the points of contact between the two have almost cabalistic traits. In 2024, at 18, Fonseca obtained his first ATP victory, his first Challenger and the Next Gen ATP Finals: the same goals at exactly the same age. Fonseca also became the youngest to have won the tournament, after Sinner; as well as the lowest ranked to have achieved it.
«Many good players have won the Next Gen Finals, but the one I really see myself in is Sinner. I like his aggressive game and technically he is my point of reference. Mentally, he is calmer than me, he is shy and I love the way he fights. He doesn't show emotions and in this he is very similar to me». Sinner already acts as a mentor to him. The two trained together at the 2023 ATP Finals and then exchanged a few words. Fonseca tells him that he wants to go to university, he had committed to Virginia University. Sinner however tells him not to go: «He advised me to avoid it, telling me that I was too strong and that I should turn pro straight away. At the time I thought he was making fun of me, that he was making a joke».
Technically they have shots set up quite differently but you can say that, broadly speaking, they are similar; at least in the sense that they are players who can accelerate easily on both sides of the court. They have an aggressive, commanding attitude, but who doesn’t have that these days? Obviously the difference between these players and the others is the speed with which they can take command, thanks to the speed of their feet, but also to their technical completeness. He has a very balanced game, which is evident in the management of the exchange, but his best shot is the forehand. His technique is impeccable, from the position of his body at the beginning, the use of his left hand, to the harmony with which he manages to rotate and unload the weight of the ball forward. He is always composed, he never gives the impression of tearing.
From the center he prefers to play inside-out, from the right, in recovery, he accelerates crossed with a ridiculous ease, almost offensive. It is the shot that has shone the most in these Next Gen, and it is also one of the best solutions of Sinner.
If a great forehand is a fairly common weapon on the circuit, at least at certain levels, Fonseca also makes the difference on the backhand side. This is, perhaps, the shot on which he can build a career as a Slam winner - because it is what made the difference for Djokovic for many years and is doing it today for Sinner. On that side too, Fonseca is extremely composed in his movement, and capable of generating speed and turning control of the exchange. He knows how to work his opponent with deep and central backhands, which then open up the court on the forehand, but also accelerate definitively on the long line. He does not have the fluidity of Sinner or Djokovic, on that side, but the margins are promising.
Having been born on clay, he likes variations. He has a decent backhand (nothing sensational for now) and uses the drop shot naturally and with excellent choice of situation. At the net he shows a rather soft arm and in short: Fonseca's technical infrastructure is of amazing quality. Excluding the serve, which with a few exceptions is always the shot with the most margins for such young players. Even from a mental point of view, however, Fonseca already seems to be a top-level player; or at least he seems to show a natural predisposition to competition. In these Next Gen he has resolved very different technical matchups, always remaining lucid. For example, in the final Learner Tien made him play long rallies and also moved him in the heights, with clever touch solutions. He suffered for two sets but then he overran, not going out of gear and then demonstrating that he can consistently withstand speeds that cost the others great effort.
On the court he has a different energy than his idol Sinner. He is very expressive, he likes to involve the crowd and make himself heard. He is not a showman like Alcaraz, but he has a similar charisma. He is very sure of himself. After the victory with Fils in Rio he said: «I want to play on these stages. This is where I belong». Before the rematch he almost threatened him: «Arthur knows what I am capable of doing».
First of all, you have to look at speed; that of the feet, that of the ball, that of the arm. Tennis is a sport of time and space, and some players, the best today, seem to strangle them. On the tennis court there doesn’t seem to be any more oxygen circulating, and for the opponents to compromise with this accelerated reality is not easy. The difference in level is noticeable on this: dealing with speed.
It is the first thing that strikes us, on a subconscious, epidermal level, even just watching a match. We realize that something is wrong. Some shots pass through the air too quickly; so quickly that we jump a little, from the television, as if faced with images that are too violent.
This feeling, a kind of misalignment of the rhythm of things, some change in physics, is offered to us by three players on the tennis court today: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca; that is, the number one, the number two and the player who yesterday, at 18, won the Next Gen ATP Finals, the tournament that announces the tennis champions of the future to the world. Fonseca has been said to be predestined since he was still a child. When he started breaking records for precocity we simply took note. The appearance, still distant, of a meteorite that sooner or later would hit the planet Earth. The victory of the Next Gen ATP Finals is another point of approach of this meteorite.
Joao Fonseca has curls and the cheeks of a cherub, in some ways he still looks younger than his 18 years. He looks like a baby enlarged with a laser beam, and transformed into a tennis player who hits a hard backhand and an even harder forehand. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything special about his playing style. After a while, however, you'll start to notice - precisely - his speed.
Fonseca was the youngest participant in the tournament, the only 2006 between 2005 and the two 2004s, Arthur Fils and Alex Michelsen - considered favorites if only for their greater experience. He was also the lowest ranked player, just number 145. He closed the tournament undefeated, earning a final prize pool of 500 thousand dollars. First of all he got rid of the number one candidate for victory, Arthur Fils, defeated in the first match to clarify the hierarchy. Fils is number 20 in the world and this year he has won two 500 tournaments. In Hamburg he beat Zverev in the final, confirming the idea that he is destined for a great future.
Fils is the youngest tennis player in the Top 20, and yet, despite being two years older than Fonseca - geological ages at that age - he seemed inferior to him. On a tangible level, the Brazilian seemed to be able to reach peaks of speed that Fils would have found unmanageable; on the intangible level he managed the decisive crossroads of the score better. «I think that in the important moments I played better. I entered the ball and played aggressively, as I always do». With the “killer point” format (i.e. without advantages on 40 all) it is an even more important quality. Maybe the different pressure also had an impact, with Fils who had everything to lose, but the power of certain exchanges remains.
The two had already met in Rio, and Fonseca had won the first set 6-0; also winning several games in advantage. After the set point, converted by a powerful drop shot, Fils had remained still for a while, trying to understand what was happening. After the victory, quick and in two sets, Fonseca knelt with his hands on his head, while the commentator announced: «New stuff for the tour». After Fils, in that tournament, Fonseca also beat a specialist like Cristian Garin, only to lose to Navone. At that time he was number 655 in the world.
But that was clay, the Brazilian's favorite surface, while this time they were playing on the very fast indoor cement of Jeddah. For this reason his success has even more value. Although Fils is one of the most talented players on the circuit, with Fonseca there was a clear difference in engine capacity. This is to underline that the player who is arriving does not have just any future but is a potential number one, Slam winner, tennis champion.
In Brazil he is nicknamed "the little Sinner" - "For his thin legs and powerful shots". Today his shots have become even more powerful but his legs are no longer so thin; at 18 years old Fonseca is already quite physically structured and in this tournament he demonstrated that he covers the court with an athleticism superior to more or less anyone else. This was especially seen in the match against Jakub Mensik, one of the players with the most brutal power on the circuit; Fonseca always managed to get to the ball a little before him - following an instinct in reading the trajectories, also that, of a phenomenon.
It may seem impressive that Sinner, at 23, has already produced a disciple, but the points of contact between the two have almost cabalistic traits. In 2024, at 18, Fonseca obtained his first ATP victory, his first Challenger and the Next Gen ATP Finals: the same goals at exactly the same age. Fonseca also became the youngest to have won the tournament, after Sinner; as well as the lowest ranked to have achieved it.
«Many good players have won the Next Gen Finals, but the one I really see myself in is Sinner. I like his aggressive game and technically he is my point of reference. Mentally, he is calmer than me, he is shy and I love the way he fights. He doesn't show emotions and in this he is very similar to me». Sinner already acts as a mentor to him. The two trained together at the 2023 ATP Finals and then exchanged a few words. Fonseca tells him that he wants to go to university, he had committed to Virginia University. Sinner however tells him not to go: «He advised me to avoid it, telling me that I was too strong and that I should turn pro straight away. At the time I thought he was making fun of me, that he was making a joke».
Technically they have shots set up quite differently but you can say that, broadly speaking, they are similar; at least in the sense that they are players who can accelerate easily on both sides of the court. They have an aggressive, commanding attitude, but who doesn’t have that these days? Obviously the difference between these players and the others is the speed with which they can take command, thanks to the speed of their feet, but also to their technical completeness. He has a very balanced game, which is evident in the management of the exchange, but his best shot is the forehand. His technique is impeccable, from the position of his body at the beginning, the use of his left hand, to the harmony with which he manages to rotate and unload the weight of the ball forward. He is always composed, he never gives the impression of tearing.
From the center he prefers to play inside-out, from the right, in recovery, he accelerates crossed with a ridiculous ease, almost offensive. It is the shot that has shone the most in these Next Gen, and it is also one of the best solutions of Sinner.
If a great forehand is a fairly common weapon on the circuit, at least at certain levels, Fonseca also makes the difference on the backhand side. This is, perhaps, the shot on which he can build a career as a Slam winner - because it is what made the difference for Djokovic for many years and is doing it today for Sinner. On that side too, Fonseca is extremely composed in his movement, and capable of generating speed and turning control of the exchange. He knows how to work his opponent with deep and central backhands, which then open up the court on the forehand, but also accelerate definitively on the long line. He does not have the fluidity of Sinner or Djokovic, on that side, but the margins are promising.
Having been born on clay, he likes variations. He has a decent backhand (nothing sensational for now) and uses the drop shot naturally and with excellent choice of situation. At the net he shows a rather soft arm and in short: Fonseca's technical infrastructure is of amazing quality. Excluding the serve, which with a few exceptions is always the shot with the most margins for such young players. Even from a mental point of view, however, Fonseca already seems to be a top-level player; or at least he seems to show a natural predisposition to competition. In these Next Gen he has resolved very different technical matchups, always remaining lucid. For example, in the final Learner Tien made him play long rallies and also moved him in the heights, with clever touch solutions. He suffered for two sets but then he overran, not going out of gear and then demonstrating that he can consistently withstand speeds that cost the others great effort.
On the court he has a different energy than his idol Sinner. He is very expressive, he likes to involve the crowd and make himself heard. He is not a showman like Alcaraz, but he has a similar charisma. He is very sure of himself. After the victory with Fils in Rio he said: «I want to play on these stages. This is where I belong». Before the rematch he almost threatened him: «Arthur knows what I am capable of doing».
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
In short, we are talking about a predestined one, there is no point in beating around the bush. Now in this type of piece you need a part in which you cover your back and you have to write down a series of circumstances that could slow down a future that I presented to you as very bright. So I am forced to tell you that Fonseca is still very young and subject to the physiological ups and downs that you experience at that age. He still loses to players like Hemery and Choinski. In Madrid, after beating Michelsen, he took a bad knockdown from Cameron Norrie. In these Next Gen ATP Finals he faced players who were inexperienced or with whom he feels very comfortable in the match up, like Fils. The road is long, very long. 2025 will be a year of settling in, for him, on the pro circuit, and there are many things he has to learn. Above all, he will have to lose and learn to lose. Obviously we must mention the possible catastrophic unforeseen events: chronic physical problems, serious injuries, mental collapses, private balances. All things that are unpredictable today - after all, didn't Aeschylus die after being hit by a tortoise that rained down on his head?
This moment, when Joao Fonseca raises the trophy of the tournament that is the debutante ball of the circuit, had to come. It was announced and it materialized exactly as we had imagined.
Fonseca's victory confirms the Next Gen ATP Finals as a successful experiment of the ATP. This is true beyond questionable choices. The assignment to Jeddah, Hasbullah who tosses the coin, for example. Then there would be the questionable format, with short sets, the killer point and sets that end with violent tears like those of a wax. Their usefulness as a system, however, is indisputable. Since they were introduced (2017), at a time when tennis no longer seemed capable of producing champions, they have already announced two future Slam winners in Alcaraz and Sinner, outlining the first lines of the characters they would be. Like other sports, tennis feeds on narratives, and these are fed through rivalries. In a 2024 that saw Alcaraz and Sinner share the Slams, and perhaps definitively extinguish the era of the Big-3, Fonseca lifts the last trophy of the year, the one that announces the near future, which in tennis will perhaps still be dominated by three human beings.
This moment, when Joao Fonseca raises the trophy of the tournament that is the debutante ball of the circuit, had to come. It was announced and it materialized exactly as we had imagined.
Fonseca's victory confirms the Next Gen ATP Finals as a successful experiment of the ATP. This is true beyond questionable choices. The assignment to Jeddah, Hasbullah who tosses the coin, for example. Then there would be the questionable format, with short sets, the killer point and sets that end with violent tears like those of a wax. Their usefulness as a system, however, is indisputable. Since they were introduced (2017), at a time when tennis no longer seemed capable of producing champions, they have already announced two future Slam winners in Alcaraz and Sinner, outlining the first lines of the characters they would be. Like other sports, tennis feeds on narratives, and these are fed through rivalries. In a 2024 that saw Alcaraz and Sinner share the Slams, and perhaps definitively extinguish the era of the Big-3, Fonseca lifts the last trophy of the year, the one that announces the near future, which in tennis will perhaps still be dominated by three human beings.
velvetsledgehammer
Rookie
He could very well win the French Open this year.
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
In the Canberra challenger the Brazilian continues to roll all his opponents, today it was the turn of the Frenchman Mayot, even if it must be said that the 6-2 6-3 is a bit of a lie.
As already said after the Next-Gen, Fonseca's current level appears to be top 50.
It is always impressive how he manages to maintain high percentages of first serves on the court.
Now a very interesting semifinal against Fearnley.
As already said after the Next-Gen, Fonseca's current level appears to be top 50.
It is always impressive how he manages to maintain high percentages of first serves on the court.
Now a very interesting semifinal against Fearnley.
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
Now it seems to belong to a different level;
guilhermefdc
Semi-Pro
Won Canberra without dropping a set. Nice start for the season - beat players he might play in the AO's qualys
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
Joao Fonseca & Ethan Quinn Square off for the Title in Canberra - Full Match
2024 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Joao Fonseca clashes with qualifier Ethan Quinn in the championship match of the Workday Canberra International!SUBSCRIBE: ...
www.youtube.com
sortof
Professional
These Aussie hypocrites - the winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals deserves to be honored with a WC - probably more than anyone else.
FerVeneroni
New User
He is in the last round of the Aus Open Qualifying, having applied two 6/0 to his opponents in the first and second rounds.
FrankyRelax
Professional
Some very juicy potential 2nd matchups for our boy
guilhermefdc
Semi-Pro
Rublev 1st round.
Interesting, given Rublev's recent level/issues
Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
The top half, that of Sinner/Fritz, and it is in Fritz's section of the draw that then leads to Medvedev.
I expect a lot from Fonseca in this 2025, now his level allows him to joke in the challengers or in the qualifications of the majors themselves.
He has clearly already acquired a minimum top 50 level, something already glimpsed at the recent Next Gen.
Obviously, based on the same age, it would be excessive to expect from him a season like Alcaraz 2022, who, net of the astral conjunctions that allowed him to win a major closing the season at number 1, was already a top player as demonstrated not only in the triumph at the US Open, but also the victories in the 1000 in Miami and Madrid, where in the latter he beat Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev in sequence.
However, I find a Rune 2022 style season anything but utopian, that is, closing it close to the top 10 with at least one great exploit. In a single match I expect him to be able to beat anyone, maybe not now but in a few months.
D
Deleted member 821161
Guest
Joao Fonseca set to receive major financial boost after heroics at Australian Open
Young Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca received a major financial boost after his heroics in the Australian Open. The 18-year-old is already regarded as the one for the future and has already showcase...
tennisuptodate.com
guilhermefdc
Semi-Pro
Not the best idea… not only did he win ~450K GBP a little over 1 month ago, but his father is an important figure in Brazil’s stock market (owns a wealth management firm and manages quite a few funds).Joao Fonseca set to receive major financial boost after heroics at Australian Open
Young Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca received a major financial boost after his heroics in the Australian Open. The 18-year-old is already regarded as the one for the future and has already showcase...
It’s likely that even the Next Gen Finals prize money did not move the needle on Fonseca‘s net worth — the brazilian Fritz/Navarro.
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
I came across these news:
...
...
Break To Win
Semi-Pro
I have the impression that João plays better on faster courts, he was the junior champion of the US Open.
I don't see him as dependent on clay as other Brazilian tennis players
I watched the Phoenix tournament, and he seemed quite comfortable. I think he could have a better campaign in Miami, maybe a R4
I think he'll end the year in the Top 30, which is a conservative prediction, but it does take into account the normal fluctuations of a 19-year-old.
I don't see him as dependent on clay as other Brazilian tennis players
I watched the Phoenix tournament, and he seemed quite comfortable. I think he could have a better campaign in Miami, maybe a R4
I think he'll end the year in the Top 30, which is a conservative prediction, but it does take into account the normal fluctuations of a 19-year-old.
Break To Win
Semi-Pro
Does anyone know João's schedule for the clay season?
Does he have a Wild Card for the M1000 in Monte Carlo?
Does he have a Wild Card for the M1000 in Monte Carlo?
GRASScaraz
Hall of Fame
He is sponsored by Rolex so probably
FerVeneroni
New User
This page posts everything about it, upcoming tournaments and news about it. https://x.com/fonsecaupdates
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