The 17-year-old Brazilian made headlines this week for sparring at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. After being No. 1 junior, his future now points to university, although the idea of becoming a professional as soon as possible is very present in his mind.
In the midst of a succession war on the men’s circuit to see who is chosen to take over from Novak Djokovic, other much more tender players continue to take steps forward to join this fight in the medium term. One of them is Joao Fonseca, current champion of the US Open Junior and former No. 1 in the category, a profile that we will see next year in college, although without leaving aside his professional tournaments. In an interview a few months ago with CLAY we can learn a little about its history and its ambitions. We highlight the most interesting.
Change of stage
“I think it’s time to close my career as a junior, now I’m thinking about professionalism. I have already won a Grand Slam and been number one in the world together, so I have already overcome this stage. I think that in professional tournaments, the fact of being young and not having pressure will make me play very loosely, I am convinced that I will be able to show my game.”
Your favorite player
“Roger, you have been my idol since I started practicing this sport, I suppose because of how talented he is and how easy everything is. It is an honor to wear his brand and it would be an honor to know him too. I haven’t been able to have that contact with him yet, but the people I talk to have told me that at some point I will meet him.”
Similarities with other young players
“Of the younger players I really like Carlos Alcaraz, although I also pay a lot of attention to Alexander Zverev. People say that our tennis is very similar, so I really like watching him play. Obviously, I must also mention Gustavo Kuerten, who has been an idol both for me and for all Brazilians. I would love to ask him what he felt after winning a Grand Slam, I’m sure you have a lot of valuable things to tell me and from which I can learn. “I want to know what was going through his mind after winning his first Roland Garros.”
The link with Kuerten
“For me it is an inspiration, I learned from a very young age to play with this crowd, that’s when I realized how much I like pressure. I love hearing ‘Vamos Joao’ from the stands, although I also tolerate well when people are against me. There the situation is more complicated, we have seen many players surpassed by that factor, but in my case I think I have a slight advantage due to the fact that I started competing at such a young age. In general, I think any kind of pressure helps me.”
2023-12-09 12:00:30
#idol #Roger #Federer
