Joao Fonseca Makes ‘Attitude’ Admission After Smashing Racket During Rafa Jodar Defeat in Madrid

Rafa Jodar could face World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

Joao Fonseca Makes ‘Attitude’ Admission After Smashing Racket During Rafa Jodar Defeat in Madrid

Joao Fonseca (L) smashed his racket during his match against Rafa Jodar (R) (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis, #MMOpen, Tennis Tennis Masterr)

In Short
  • Joao Fonseca expressed the need to improve his on-court attitude after losing to Rafa Jodar in the Madrid Open.
  • Fonseca smashed his racket in frustration during the third set of the match, highlighting his mental struggles.
  • Rafa Jodar praised Fonseca's performance and acknowledged the potential for a future rivalry between them.

Joao Fonseca faced a player younger than him in the third round of the Madrid Open. The wild card entrant, who previously dismantled Alex de Minaur, registered a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1 victory to reach the third round of the tournament on his debut.

Fonseca dealt with nerves even before entering the match. When things were not going his way, he let out his frustrations on his racket. During the first game of the third set, when Fonseca’s forehand went outside the baseline, he obliterated his racket.

I had the chance to break his serve right at the start. At the beginning of the third set, I felt better, even above him. I was taking more control of the match. However, after 40-15, missing some simple forehands led to frustration. Clearly, my on-court attitude needs improvement. It’s an aspect we need to work on. From that moment on, he played better, with less nervousness, and found the right way to prevail.

Joao Fonseca said at the press conference

Fonseca, a two-time singles champion (2025 Argentina Open and 2025 Swiss Indoors), was bidding to reach the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the third time. He, in fact, reached the third round in the Spanish capital for the first time.

He is a great player, achieving impressive results and rising quickly in the rankings. He possesses all the qualities to become an extraordinary player. As I said, facing a younger opponent in the ATP circuit made me somewhat nervous. It’s a situation we must get used to and see how we respond to it.

Joao Fonseca added

Fonseca produced his best performance in a Masters 1000 tournament when he reached the quarterfinals of this year’s Monte-Carlo Masters, losing the match to three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev. He failed to defend the Argentina Open this year, as Alejandro Tabilo knocked him out in the opening round.

Rafa Jodar on his match against Joao Fonseca

Rafa Jodar is competing in his career’s third Masters 1000 tournament. He, in fact, made his Masters 1000 debut in this year’s Indian Wells Masters.

Joao Fonseca
Joao Fonseca (Image via ATP/X)

Jodar, who will next be locking horns with Vit Kopriva, said only time will tell if his match against Joao Fonseca is the start of another rivalry. He said at the press conference:

It has been a very evenly matched encounter. Joao has been doing things very well this season, and I want to wish him the best for this season and for his career because he has a brilliant career ahead of him. Time will tell if this is the start of a rivalry. It has been a high-level match from both players.

Jodar could schedule a blockbuster match against World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. The Italian, who is chasing his first title in Madrid as well as his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title after wins at the 2025 Paris Masters, and this year’s Indian Wells, Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters, will face Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.

Jodar is chasing the second singles title of his career. This year, in the Grand Prix Hassan II (ATP 250) in Morocco, he defeated Marco Trungelliti. He has so far won three Challenger titles from four finals. The Spaniard has so far made just one appearance in a Grand Slam tournament. In this year’s Australian Open, after qualifying for the main draw, he advanced to the second round and lost that match to Jakub Mensik.

Fonseca, on the other hand, has so far made the third round of a Major two times (in last year’s French Open and Wimbledon). He suffered an opening-round exit in this year’s Australian Open.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Shows Total Disagreement With Chair Umpire Over Qinwen Zheng’s Service Call in Madrid