
Joao Fonseca’s eye-catching Australian Open campaign may be over, but this is just the beginning for the teenage sensation.
Playing in his maiden major main draw, the 18-year-old Brazilian qualifier announced himself with a stunning first-round display to oust World No. 9 Andrey Rublev in straight sets. Fonseca’s five-set credentials were then tested for the first time when he went toe-to-toe with Lorenzo Sonego over three and a half hours but, despite defeat, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion remained animated when envisioning his future on Tour.
“It's my dream to play on the Tour, the real Tour where the top 50 players play,” said Fonseca, who is up to No. 98 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. “The Masters, the ATP 500s, the 250s. I want to live playing this.
“I'm excited to join the Top 100, play the big tournaments, get my place in this environment, and keep working to go bigger, to have more and more ranking. I think for me, in my opinion, the sky's the limit. You need to work more and more to reach your dream, which is to become No. 1.”
Fonseca was heading into his second-round match in Melbourne on a 14-match win streak at all levels, and was bidding to become the youngest player to reach the third round since Bernard Tomic in 2011. Yet the Brazilian acknowledged the magnitude of the occasion and ultimately the difference in experience between himself and World No. 55 Sonego.
“I think today the experience of Lorenzo got [the] better,” Fonseca said of Sonego, who had played in eight five-set matches prior to their clash. “It was one of the points that he won today. He has more experience in those matches.
“I think when you play five sets, the experience, it's different… They know better when to [be] intense. There's going to be ups and downs during the match. I won the first set really good, 7-6. Then two sets were really easy for him. I couldn't play my best. Then after, I got a break in the fourth. The fifth was like 50/50. There were going to be ups and downs.
“I need to have more experience on this. I need to work more to stay mentally focused during the whole match and need to be prepared for this. I think that was the big difference to play a Grand Slam.”
Fonseca’s dazzling form of late has fuelled excitement over his potential and garnered him the support of money during his two matches at Melbourne Park. Yet while he remains young, Fonseca recognises the importance of harnessing his nerves and adjusting to the occasion - something that will evolve naturally over time.
“I think after the battle against Rublev, the expectations got bigger,” Fonseca said. “People said a little bit more about Joao. My expectations were bigger also. I was more nervous than the match against Rublev. I already had a win against Sonego. I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous.
“As I said, I think the experience was the big difference of today.”