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Hall of Fame
A great article by Jeff Sackmann, which underlines aspects of the qualities the Brazilian has shown so far:
Power is power and we are living in a different world compared to two decades ago:
Fonseca's win percentage increases also strongly with the length of the rallies, which is in my book a fantastic sign for a tallish youngster. Alcaraz and a younger Sinner showed a similar pattern. FAA, on the other hand, relied very early on his great serve.
He also keeps winning return points at a fine clip, showcased by the number of dominant sets. His body seems to be quite mature, far closer to Alcaraz than Sinner in this regard.
The Fonseca difference
It’s not about tactics, it’s good old-fashioned power and precision. Fonseca’s forehand isn’t innovative, and it doesn’t need to be. If he hits his shots in more or less the same directions that his peers do, he’s probably doing something right. It means that at age 18, he has already internalized pro tactics. The difference is that he’s hitting those forehands harder, and he’s often landing them closer to the lines, something hinted at by his low rate of down-the-middle forehands.
Power is power and we are living in a different world compared to two decades ago:
When you can end points with your forehand twice as often as Federer did, you’re doing something right. The only players even close to the Brazilian’s winner rate end up losing far more points, probably because they need to take many more risks to get that small sliver of positive outcomes.
Fonseca's win percentage increases also strongly with the length of the rallies, which is in my book a fantastic sign for a tallish youngster. Alcaraz and a younger Sinner showed a similar pattern. FAA, on the other hand, relied very early on his great serve.
He also keeps winning return points at a fine clip, showcased by the number of dominant sets. His body seems to be quite mature, far closer to Alcaraz than Sinner in this regard.
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