Juan Martin Del Potro assesses the chances of Joao Fonseca carrying on his legacy and becoming a flag bearer of South American tennis
Juan Martin del Potro believes Joao Fonseca has a strategy similar to his, playing a lot with serve and forehand.
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Juan Martin del Potro, Joao Fonseca (images via Instagram)
18-year-old tennis sensation Joao Fonseca has gained a lot of attention and praise for his impressive strides this year. He stunned Andrey Rublev, a top-10 ranked player, in the opening round of the Australian Open earlier this year. He also went on to clinch the Argentina Open title.
The Brazilian has been lauded by many top active and retired players like Andy Murray, who often shows his excitement for Fonseca in his tweets, or Iga Swiatek, who felt the ATP tour was quite lackluster after her idol Rafael Nadal‘s retirement but made an exception for Carlos Alcaraz along with Fonseca.
He is very young and has a lot of time to live up to people’s expectations. The important thing is for him to build his career, his schedule, in his own time. Of course, the fans and the tournaments want him to play everything, but he needs to be smart and take care of his physical and mental health and keep progressing. More important than always climbing the rankings is to evolve to reach the level needed to be in the top 10 and then try to win Slams, which is a possibility for him, in my opinion.
Juan Martin del Potro said via Olympics
During his interview with Olympics, retired Argentine tennis star Juan Martin del Potro also weighed in on Fonseca and the hopes upon him to carry on del Potro’s legacy as a flagbearer of Latin American tennis. He believes Fonseca needs to be smart and take great care of his physical and mental well-being to continue progressing. The former World No. 3 also described Fonseca’s serve and forehand as one of the best.
Today’s tennis is very strong and powerful, and with his serve and forehand, he will be one of the best. He has a strategy similar to mine, playing a lot with serve and forehand.
Juan Martin del Potro added
Juan Martin del Potro recalls fond memories from the Rio Olympics
Juan Martin del Potro has had an illustrious tennis career. He won the 2009 US Open, defeating Rafael Nadal and the five-time defending champion Roger Federer en route. Del Potro won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, where he had defeated Djokovic in straight sets, earning Argentina’s first medal at the event overall. He also medaled at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he won a silver, facing defeat to defending gold medalist Andy Murray. In the same year, del Potro also led Argentina to its maiden Davis Cup title.
The Rio Games were one of the most beautiful weeks of my entire career. I played against Nadal , Federer, Djokovic, and Murray in both Games. The best of the best. It’s hard enough to win a medal, imagine playing against them. It was a double mission impossible, but I did it. The Olympic Games are very special for an athlete. It’s a moment every four years when your routine, preparation, and calendar change for you to become an Olympic athlete. There’s a spirit and a love for the sport that you only experience at an Olympic tennis match.
Juan Martin del Potro added
In his interview with Olympics, del Potro fondly recalled his memories from the Rio Olympics as one of the most beautiful weeks of his entire career. He defeated Djokovic and Rafael Nadal en route to the finals. However, he was initially very nervous to face Djokovic, who was then the World No. 1, but ended up defeating him in straight sets in the first round of the tournament.
Joao Fonseca is into the second round of the Madrid Open
Joao Fonseca, who loves the clay surface is currently competing in the Mutua Madrid Open. In his opening round match, Fonseca cruised past Denmark’s Elmer Moller in straight sets to set up a second-round clash against 11th seed Tommy Paul.
Fonseca employed a deep return position against Moller’s first delivery but stepped up to the baseline on second serves, zeroing in on aggressive returns. He absorbed the Dane’s backhand and redirected the ball with his own firepower, rushing Moller from the baseline. Fonseca created 13 break chances, converting four, while not facing a single break point. He sealed the victory 6-2, 6-3.
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