To some a rising tennis star, while to others an overhyped young player- Joao Fonseca makes his main draw debut today at Wimbledon. Before the start of the tournament, the 18-year old had a practise session with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
At the press conference ahead of the Championships, Fonseca spoke about his interaction with the World No. 2:
“We talked about life, not just tennis. Normally, you don’t get the chance to ask him or his team, like his brother or coach, questions. I asked him many things, more than I usually do, but the training session and the conversation were great.”
Both Alcaraz and Fonseca, triumphed at the ATP Next Gen Finals in 2021 and 2024 respectively. Since that victory, Fonseca has made some remarkable strides in tennis, winning his maiden ATP title at the Argentina Open. However, the Brazilian still has a long way to go and much to improve upon in higher tournaments like the Masters 1000 and Grand Slams.
Joao Fonseca will face Jacob Fearnley in the opening round at Wimbledon
Grass is a surface where Joao Fonseca is relatively inexperienced. He began his grass swing with the Halle Open, where he faced an opening round exit, losing to Flavio Cobolli in three sets. Fonseca then competed at the Eastbourne Open where he fell to defending champion Taylor Fritz in the Round of 16.
Joao Fonseca (Image via X/#MMOpen)
In the opening round at Wimbledon, Fonseca will face Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley. Fonseca has previously defeated players on their home soil and made the atmosphere feel like Brazil. It will be interesting to see how the crowd support will look like this time and how Fonseca fares against Fearnley. Fonseca’s draw is on the same side as Carlos Alcaraz, and both players could potentially meet in the quarterfinal.
Carlos Alcaraz speaks about training with Joao Fonseca
Carlos Alcaraz also shared a few words about his interaction with Joao Fonseca ahead of the start of the tournament. Speaking to the press, the five-time Grand Slam champion said:
“I was eager to train with him; I did it in 2023 if I’m not mistaken. Grass is new to him, I’ve been talking to him, and he has little experience on this surface. Given his style, he can do very well. He loves to play aggressively towards the net with good forehands, so I believe he will improve quickly. At the moment, he needs to learn a few things because he’s very young and just starting out in these tournaments, but his level is already high.”
Carlos Alcaraz (image via Instagram)
The Spaniard will be eyeing an elusive three-peat at Wimbledon, a feat accomplished only by Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic previously. Alcaraz, is among the six men in the Open Era who have completed the Channel Slam and he will be aiming to be the next person after Borg and his idol Rafael Nadal, to have multiple Channel Slams to his name. Alcaraz will face Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the opening round of the tournament this year.
The 22-year-old will be aiming for his fifth grass court title at Wimbledon, and also his fifth title of the season. Winning four of the last five tournaments that he played in, will give Alcaraz an immense confidence boost heading into Wimbledon. Other strong contenders for the title include 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, and World No. 4 Jack Draper.
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