Joao Fonseca Aspires to Reach Level of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner: “It’s Good to Have Guys Like Them”

Joao Fonseca is in Rome, gearing up for the Italian Open. Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz will not be playing, as he is nursing a wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open.

Last year in Rome, the Spaniard beat home favorite Jannik Sinner to win his first title in the tournament. Sinner, who has already arrived in the Italian capital, will be chasing history.

He will be aiming to become the first man in history to win five consecutive Masters 1000s of the season, following wins at the Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open. Sinner, in fact, has already become the first man to win the first four events of this level.

In Monte Carlo, the Italian ace defeated Alcaraz, who lifted the Australian Open and the Qatar Open against Novak Djokovic and Arthur Fils, respectively. Fonseca, who has played both the World No.1 and the World No.2 and suffered defeat both times, said that he is working hard to reach their level and compete against them in the finals.

It’s good to have guys like them in tennis, who inspire others. And speaking for myself, they inspire me so that, maybe one day, I can reach their level and play against them, play finals against them. So, I’m just trying to give my best, trying to work on what I can to play against them. But yeah, Jannik and Carlos, although Carlos is injured… Jannik is playing in an unbelievable way. Five consecutive Masters 1000 titles, so it’s really unbelievable. We’ll see in Rome, but yeah, this guy is on another level now.

Joao Fonseca told reporters

Fonseca, the 27th seed, will meet Hamad Medjedovic or Valentin Royer in the second round in Rome. He made his Rome debut last year and exited after losing to Fabian Marozsan in the first round.

Sinner will kick off his campaign against Sebastian Ofner or Alex Michelsen. The four-time Grand Slam champion will be chasing his fourth title on clay, and later at the French Open, where he finished as the runner-up last year, Sinner will be aiming to complete the Career Grand Slam. Alcaraz, the two-time reigning French Open champion, will be skipping the event.

Joao Fonseca on the differences between the clay tournaments

Joao Fonseca made his clay-court Masters 1000 main draw debut at the 2024 Madrid Open and reached the second round. He produced his best performance on the surface at this level in this year’s Monte Carlo tournament on his maiden appearance.

I played in Monte Carlo and Munich for the first time, but they’re different surfaces… well, it’s the same surface, but the conditions are different. You play in Monte Carlo, which is a bit faster, and the ball bounces a bit more. Munich has a bit of altitude, Madrid has more altitude, and here [Rome] it’s a bit slower. But I’m feeling good, feeling good playing, feeling good off the court, happy with myself, happy and healthy… happy on the circuit.

Joao Fonseca told reporters

The Brazilian ace, after winning the 2024 Next-Gen ATP Finals, won his first tour-level title at the Argentina Open against home favorite Francisco Cerundolo. He lifted his first ATP 500 title at the Swiss Indoors by defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The main draw of the Italian Open starts on May 6. After the event, the tennis world will be focusing on the ultimate clay-court tournament, Roland Garros, the main draw of which is set to start on May 24th. The 19-year-old made his main draw debut last year and exited after reaching the third round.

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