By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday January 13, 2025
Add Carlos Alcaraz to the growing Joao Fonseca bandwagon.
After his win over Yoshihito Nishioka on Wednesday in Melbourne (6-0, 6-1, 6-4), the third-seeded Spaniard gave his opinion on the rising 18-year-old from Brazil.
Alcaraz didn’t see all of Fonseca’s 7-6(1) 6-3 7-6(5) win over ninth-seeded Andrey Rublev, but he saw enough to be mightily impressed.
“I saw a little bit at the beginning and the end of the match,” Alcaraz told reporters. “What can I say about it? Just incredible. I mean, the way he played his first Grand Slam match against his first Top-10, it's unbelievable. The way he approached the match, the way he handled everything, the nerves, the match in general, it's been fantastic.”
Alcaraz is sure that Fonseca has the potential to quickly move up the rankings, even as he plays in his first Grand Slam main draw.
“It's someone that I have to be care of, let's say,” he said. “He's going to be there. It is just the beginning of the year, just one win in Grand Slam, but he's going to be there.
“We're going to put Joao Fonseca's name on the list of the best players in the world really soon.”
Djokovic: He's Got The Goods
After his second round win, Novak Djokovic also heaped praise on the young talent.
"I just met him first time, like, literally five minutes before I came into the room," Djokovic said. "I congratulated him not only on the win last night that I've seen, the last set I've seen, but also everything he has been doing the last six to 12 months. I've been following his rise, and I just love how he plays the big points. Courageous, very clean hitter, all-around player."
Djokovic says that it is massive for Brazil and for the sport that Fonseca is such a dynamic talent.
"Brazil is a huge country," he said. "Super important for our sport to have a very good player coming from Brazil. I think they haven't had a player maybe of that caliber since Guga Kuerten. It's exciting times for Brazil, but also for the whole tennis world because such a young player and person to be able to play so good on a big stage is impressive.
"He's got the goods definitely. He showed that last night on a big stage to go very far. Future is bright for him, no doubt, if he keeps going this way."