ATP Tour

Fonseca's formula: Put down the phone, pick up a book

For many teenagers, being glued to their phone is part of daily life. Suggesting they cut down on screen time and read more books seems out of the question. But that approach has helped Joao Fonseca create a healthy balance amidst his blossoming career.

A big part of this mindset shift is influenced by Fonseca’s coach, Guilherme Teixeira, who has been instrumental not only in providing on-court guidance, but also in shaping his charge’s off-court habits.

“He doesn’t like the phone at all,” Fonseca said with a smile, speaking to ATPTour.com earlier this year. “When I was younger, I didn’t read books at all, so it was super important to him to introduce this to me. Now I’m reading more books, not as many as him, but I’m trying my best. It’s not like every week I need to read, it’s just something to spend less time on the phone.

“When you are doing nothing, less of staying on the phone. To help you be a better person, just read books to learn a little bit more.”

The 18-year-old, in the third round of a major for the first time at Roland Garros, singled out Andre Agassi’s autobiography ‘Open’ as one he has particularly enjoyed. Fittingly, Fonseca and Agassi briefly met at March's ATP Challenger Tour event in Phoenix, where the former World No. 1 performed the honourary coin toss before the Brazilian’s quarter-final match. Fonseca went on to win the title, his third at the Challenger level.

Fonseca gravitates towards biographies, with his next read already chosen: My Greatest Fear, the story of former Brazilian footballer Adriano Imperador. Teixeira has read that book.

It is not just books that help Fonseca live a relaxed off-court life. He enjoys playing video games and values the time spent with family, especially with his grandfather, Christiano (also Joao’s father’s name), with whom he shares a special bond.

“He’s the one who, when I am in Rio, I like to see a lot. I can see that he is very happy when I go to his house, which is like two minutes away from my house,” Fonseca said. “I like to play some cards with him, also with my cousins, they love playing cards also. So sometimes when we are all in Rio [we say], ‘Let’s go to grandpa’s house just to play cards with him’, and he loves it. He just asks, ‘How is it on Tour?' and everything.”

When Fonseca is competing at tournaments, his grandfather proudly watches from afar, though the nerves can be overwhelming.

“If the match is difficult, he just turns off the TV and relaxes and thinks,” Fonseca said, cracking a laugh and mimicking deep breathing with his eyes closed. “Then after, he turns it on again and if it’s still a difficult one, he just turns off the TV again.”

Hype and high expectations surround the Rio de Janeiro native, who is at No. 54 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, five spots ahead of his career high. He won his first tour-level crown in Buenos Aires, becoming the youngest South American to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). 

Nevermind that Fonseca is making history, filling stadiums across the world and has surpassed one million followers on Instagram, the teen is maintaining his grounded approach.

“I’m young and doing great, but to reach my dream, I need to focus on my routine, my day by day, so I try to focus a lot on what I need to do with my team and my family,” Fonseca said.

Family has always been important to Fonseca. After he defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the second round in Paris, Fonseca broke down in tears during his post-match interview, a display of raw emotion. His family was courtside, making the milestone victory even more meaningful.

“It was a lot of emotions. Going to the third round. I mean, it’s really a dream," Fonseca said. "After that, I saw my grandmother entering the court. She was crying. So it's really nice. And it's my mom's birthday, so it makes it more special.”

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Fonseca will next seek revenge on fifth seed Jack Draper, the Briton who breezed past him 6-4, 6-0 in the opening round of Indian Wells. Draper went on to win the title, his first at ATP Masters 1000 level.

“Jack's a great guy. I always pass him and he talks to me. Just super nice," Fonseca said. "Jack is playing incredible these [past] two years. It's just going to be nice to play in the third round.”