Joao Fonseca Opens Up on His Battles with Injuries and Physical Setbacks this Season

This season alone, Joao Fonseca has had to deal with excruciating injuries that have forced him to skip tournaments. Last week, he was supposed to take part in the Hamburg Open, but hours after the event kicked off he announced he was not at his best physical level and pulled out. Following his French Open first-round win, he reflects on his injury crisis this year.

When the year began, there were expectations that Fonseca would continue in his upward trajectory in the men’s circuit, but he suddenly began to struggle with a chronic back condition known as lumbar hypolordosis also known as the flatback syndrome. The lingering problem saw him lose in his opening match at the Australian Open and the Argentina Open.

It was not until March that he finally won two consecutive matches on the court before Jannik Sinner knocked him out in the third round of the Indian Wells Open. However, he had a brilliant run at the Monte Carlo Masters, reaching the quarter-finals, and then at the Munich Open, where he got to the last eight.

But he pulled out of the Hamburg Open, stating that he was dealing with a precautionary right wrist injury. The announcement came as a shock as a physical setback leading to the tournament withdrawal meant that he’s not at his best level ahead of the Roland Garros. But he put all those fears to bed by beating Luka Pavlovic in three sets.

The two-time ATP tour-level champion was not at his best on the court against Pavlovic, but he showed grit and determination, particularly in the second set, where he had the patience to claim his chances. Speaking to the media, he admitted that despite his aim to have an injury-free and painless French Open, he will have to find a way to keep competing:

Injuries will show up in some way, I don’t know any player who doesn’t feel discomfort, even while playing. Sometimes you play feeling something, and it’s normal, you have to deal with it; I think all athletes feel it to some extent. It’s something my team and I work on a lot; I believe everyone does, no one wants to feel pain. No one wants to stop playing tennis. We try to take care of our bodies, I think that’s the main priority.

Fonseca suffered back-to-back losses before the French Open. He lost to Rafael Jodar in the third round of the Madrid Open in three sets and then fell to Serbian player Hamad Medjedovic in the second round of the Italian Open. He has recorded just 10 wins from 19 matches this season, which is far below his standard from last season.

Joao Fonseca pleased with his performance at the Roland Garros

Joao Fonseca made a commanding start to his Roland Garros campaign against home favorite Luka Pavlovic. For the first time in weeks, he showed no sign of discomfort, but fought hard to win the first set. In the second set, he became more comfortable, controlling the flow of the match, forcing his opponent to make mistakes.

Fonseca won the match 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the second round. It was the 19-year-old’s first win since beating Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round of the Munich Open in April. During the aforementioned press conference, Fonseca admitted that he’s pleased with his performance on the court:

I’m pleased with my performance, but not with my level today, with how I technically played, but I’m happy with how I fought until the end. The first round is always tough, there’s much more pressure, and I also faced an opponent who came through qualifying, so he had already played three matches. I’m happy with how I stayed mentally focused during the match.

Fonseca will face Dino Prizmic in the second round. Prizmic defeated Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Italian Open and reached the fourth round of the tournament for the first time in his career. The winner between Fonseca and Prizmic is projected to face Djokovic in the third round of the French Open.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic Expects a Difficult Roland Garros Campaign After Opening Victory