JOAO FONSECA does not appear among the highest candidates to win the Argentina Open. The Brazilian is 18 years old, is 99º in the ranking and is starting just his second season at the major circuit of the ATP. But the same fans who have had the BUENOS AIRES LAWN TENNIS They try not to lose sight of it and are attentive to each opportunity to see it train – this Monday, with a thermal of 38 °, there were many firm, under a relentless sun, next to the court 12 where he was rallying for a long time – or for steal a photo or an autograph. It is that the one born in Rio de Janeiro, the new great appearance of world tennis, is for many a future number and is destined to do great things with its racket. He is aware of his potential, but he knows that he has a long way ahead and, despite the stir that is arms around him every time he crosses the public, keeps his feet on the ground.
Ucping a red shirt, which replaced a yellow with the flag of his country with which he trained earlier, on a heavy day and very hot, he sat down to chat with Clarion To the shadow of the trees, outside the players room. And with a very good Spanish -there are very few words that mix in Portuguese or who does not pronounce with total clarity during the talk -reflected on how much life changed in a few months.
“After Australia I am living many new things, I have much more visibility. I was in Brazil last week and when I went outside many people stopped me to take pictures and recognized me. That didn’t happen before. And in Australia I did not realize why I was far, I realized that it is something big when I got home. But it is outside. Inside, I didn’t change. I continue with the same objectives, chasing my dream, “he said about what he is living since his participation in the first Grand Slam of this 2025.
In that contest, he overcame the qualy and got into the main “large” team, in which he surprised in the first round to the Russian Andrey Rublevnine of the world, before saying goodbye Lorenzo Sonego. Thanks to that action, added to its coronation at the end of last year in the Next Gen Finals And Challenger’s title conquered in Canberra before his trip to Melbourne, the whole world of tennis began talking about him and the comparisons started. Joao does not want to lend to those expectations.
“Many people speak good things and that’s nice. But I don’t like them when they compare me with other players. When they say ‘Joao won the next gen, just like Alcaraz y Sinner‘. Or when Brazilians talk about Fonseca is going to be the new Spring (Kuertenex -number one in the world). GUGA is an inspiration for all the Brazilian people, not only for tennis players. He is an incredible person. But each player has their times, so those comparisons are not necessary. I’m just focused on doing what I have to do and work hard. And I don’t want to be the new GUGA. I want to be Joao, my own person, my own player. And write my own story“He reflected.
“Many people speak good things and that’s nice. But I don’t like them when they compare me with other players,” said Fonseca at Argentina Open 2025. Photo Sergio Llamara / Press IEB+ Argentina Open ATP-How do you do to abstract all that and prevent it from becoming an extra pressure when going out to the court?
The pressure will always be there. If you want to play tennis at the highest level, there will be pressure. You have to learn to deal with that. I talk a lot to my coach (Guilherme Teixeira) and my family, with whom I have a great relationship. My coach is like a second dad for me. I have no psychologist, I tried once but I didn’t like it, it didn’t work for me. In the future, if I need it, I will try back. But I think I have a good head to deal with everything that is happening. I know that in my career things happened very fast, I went from Junior to my first year as a fast professional and now growing in the ranking, I got into the top 100 … but I understand in my head that I have to grow, be humble and Just work hard.
Fonseca, former world number one in Junior and champion of the US Open 2023 In that category, he had accepted an offer from the University of Virginia to play in American university tennis. But at the beginning of last year, after receiving a Wild Card for the ATP 500 Riverin which he surprised when he reached the quarterfinals, decided to change the plans and focus directly on his professional career. And it seems that he was not wrong: in 2024 he climbed 585 steps in the ranking and went from 730 to 145th step; He regularly played the Challenger Tour And he raised his first trophy at that level in July in Lexington. And last January, after passing through Australia, he first got into the top 100. That accelerated growth excites him for the future, but he did not go up to his head.
-Did you raise a ranking and results goal for this season or the next ones?
I want to play the big tournaments, the paintings of all the Grand Slams, the 1000 and the ATP 500. Exit the Challengers circuit and play more and more ATP tournaments. I want to get between 50 or 60 of the ranking. It is what I want to live in the future. It is a personal goal, mine and my coach. And I know I have to work to get it.
“My dream is to be number 1 and win Grand Slams. But I’m still far,” said Fonseca. Photo Emmanuel Fernández-Clarin -And you dare to project more in the future? To dream more forward?
My dream is to be number 1 and win Grand Slams. It is what I want. I think big and I think I can get. But I’m still far away. I know I have to work hard to get it. So I don’t want to think much about the future, whether I could get it or not. I want to be focused on the present.
“I hope you can win this tournament in the future”
Fonseca won a place in the Argentina Open box thanks to a new category of Special Exempt (Special exemption) that is part of an ATP program for the players of the Next Gen of less than 20 years and that are among the best 250 of the ranking, and that rewards great performances. And although in the previous one he had said that he preferred not to debut before an Argentine, luck crossed him in the first round with Tomás Etcheverrywith which he will play on Tuesday, at the start of the night day, not before 18.30.
“I know that playing here with an Argentine is not easy. Because the twisted (Fanada, the only word that came out several times in Portuguese) is against yours. But it is nice to look at all fans vibrating with the Argentines. The tennis culture that they have here is very pretty. I already trained with Tomy and is a good person and a great player. I hope a good game comes out and being able to play well, “said who arrives with a streak of 13 wins in his last 15 games.
And he was excited: “They told me that GUGA won the first edition of this tournament (NDD: It was in 2001). I hope that in the future I can win it once me. ”