Is Joao Fonseca the Neymar of tennis? Brazilian wonderkid says he’s impressed by his idol, whereas overwhelmed opponent Ugo Humbert has in contrast him to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Followers on the Miami Open went wild after the teenage sensation reached the third spherical, defeating Nineteenth-seeded Humbert of France in straight units.
Subsequent up for the 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro might be Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday – stay on Sky Sports activities Tennis.
Fonseca’s 6-4 6-3 win means he’s the youngest man to succeed in the third spherical since Juan Martin del Potro in 2007 and the youngest man to succeed in an ATP Masters 1000 third spherical since 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz did so in Paris again in 2021.
Speaking about his determination to take up enjoying tennis quite than soccer, Fonseca stated: “After I was 11 or 12, I had a small harm. I performed with older gamers, however then I fell on my glutes and spent two months injured. I stated, ‘mother, I simply do not wish to play soccer anymore, I wish to proceed with tennis’.
“Then a year ago or six months ago, I found my coach. Things got more serious. I stayed with tennis. I think it was a good choice.”
Fonseca says he’s impressed by Brazilian playmaker Neymar
Fonseca, who got here by way of an exhilarating first-round encounter in opposition to fellow teen Learner Tien, says he’s impressed by former Barcelona and PSG playmaker Neymar.
“I really like Neymar’s skills. I loved watching him play. I also liked Ronaldinho but I didn’t watch much of him. We call him ‘The Witch’ in Brazil,” stated Fonseca.
“Really unbelievable players.”
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Jack Draper’s match in opposition to Jakub Mensik was suspended after Brazilian followers began booing once they discovered Fonseca’s match had been moved to the principle stadium having waited all day
Humbert couldn’t assist however be impressed by Fonseca’s attacking strategy throughout their contest, which was moved to the principle stadium courtroom from Grandstand – upsetting 1000’s of Brazilian followers who had turned up early to get a seat for the match.
Humbert advised French newspaper L’Equipe: “I’ve rarely played against a guy who played so fast. I had a bit of that feeling when I played Alcaraz in the Davis Cup, and Sinner in Rome. He outpaced me everywhere, he played a great match.”
Fonseca’s journey up to now…
Fonseca upset ninth seed Andrey Rublev on the Australian Open earlier this yr
Brazil’s Fonseca is the most-talked-about expertise and he delivered one of many upsets of the Australian Open in opposition to ninth seed Andrey Rublev.
He grew to become the primary participant born in 2006 to win an ATP Tour singles title as he underlined his standing as one in every of tennis’ most promising stars by defeating Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 7-6 (7-1) within the Argentina Open last final month.
Fonseca stated afterwards: “This was just an unbelievable week for me. Of course I want to be No 1. Of course I want to win Slams.”
The Subsequent Gen ATP Finals champion has already cracked the highest 100. Previously 12 months, the Brazilian has risen from No 651 to a career-high world No 60 forward of the Miami Open.
He’s the youngest top-100 participant since Alcaraz in October 2021 and the youngest Brazilian to interrupt into the highest 100 in rankings historical past.
“From Brazil, the repercussions are just big. People are getting to know a little bit more of me. That’s super nice. The Brazilian people like to cheer a lot for this [promising] kid,” Fonseca stated. “But, at the same time, you need to be focused.
“Persons are going to say quite a bit, have extra expectations. It’s worthwhile to keep targeted in your routine, to work an increasing number of.”
Asked what he considers his greatest strength, Fonseca said: “Technically, it is undoubtedly my forehand.”
And here is why… his forehand hit speeds of 113mph throughout his win in opposition to Humbert in Miami.
His shot pace on common is 81mph in comparison with the Tour common of 76mph, and his spin charge of three,019 rotations per minute is properly above the Tour common of two,844rpm.
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Have a look again at Roger Federer’s best-ever backhand photographs on the ATP Tour over time…
Tennis Channel commentator Mark Petchey, the previous British No 1, who has been working with Emma Raducanu in Miami, stated: “It feels like he’s taken it to another dimension, if I’m being honest. I know that’s sort of hyperbole, but when I watched him at Next Gen I was super impressed at how easy the winners were.
“He wasn’t having to search out the road to hit winners, which is at all times optically a very good signal that one thing’s a little bit particular.”
When quizzed about who is the greatest tennis player of all time, Fonseca said: “Federer. There isn’t any approach to change that.
“People can say that [Novak] Djokovic is the greatest of all time, but for me there’s no way. Djokovic may be the best of all time, but Federer is the greatest. Unmatched.”
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