Wonderkid, 17, trying to copy Alcaraz and Rune after helping their Djokovic prep

11/22/2023

Joao Fonseca is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, who were both invited to the ATP Finals as juniors before qualifying for the tournament a few years later. The 17-year-old served as a sparring partner for the likes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Turin as they prepared to take on Novak Djokovic. And his experience has already paid off, as Fonseca has now won his first professional match outside of the juniors.

Fonseca was invited to Turin to practice with the elite eight during last week’s ATP Finals. The Brazilian star made waves this summer when he became the No 1 junior in the world and won the boys singles title at the US Open, earning him a gig as a hitting partner at the season-ending championships.

The teenager was then called in to practice with players like Alcaraz, Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, with all three men going on to advance to the semi-final while Sinner managed to defeat Djokovic in the group stage. And Fonseca is now hoping to qualify for the tournament himself in a few years.

“It has been an incredible experience, being able to share the court and help the best in the world is fantastic,” the current No 2 junior told Sport TV. “Hopefully in three or four years I can be here, it would be a dream come true. I am going to work very hard to achieve it.”

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If Fonseca can qualify for the ATP Finals, he will follow the path of Rune. A debutant at the season-ending tournament this year, the Dane was called to the 2019 edition in London to hit with the likes of Djokovic and Roger Federer after becoming the No 1 junior that year. Alcaraz also made his debut this year after appearing in the 2017 edition to compete in an under-14s event.

The 17-year-old wonderkid is already making strides towards his goal as he won his first professional match at the Brasilia Challenger on Tuesday. Ranked down at No 790 in the world, Fonseca upset fourth seed Aleksandar Kovacevic – who is ranked 670 spots above him – 6-3 3-6 7-6(2). But he now has a drastic decision to make after signing on to play college tennis at the University of Virginia in 2024.

“I want to make the leap to professionalism now, I will play a tournament in the next six or seven months,” Fonseca admitted. “I know that I have signed for Virginia, but going there or not will depend on how I see myself in these tournaments, what my ranking is and what my feelings are.”

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In his bid to emulate players like Alcaraz, the Brazilian is hoping to follow the 20-year-old by ascending to the top of the rankings. He added: “I am very clear that my desire is to have a good tennis career and end up becoming No 1 in the world, that is my goal.”

And Fonseca has already been able to learn from the best in Turin, something that will put him in good stead to try and get to the top. “The most surprising thing for me has been Daniil Medvedev’s way of playing,” he said of his experience as a sparring partner.

“He is very efficient in all his movements, he makes it very difficult for the opponent with his tactics and it is almost impossible to attack him. Then I would say that Jannik Sinner’s right cross is amazing, and also the intensity with which Carlos Alcaraz plays.”

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