Is Joao Fonseca the Neymar of tennis? Brazilian wonderkid says he is inspired by his idol, while beaten opponent Ugo Humbert has compared him to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Fans at the Miami Open went wild after the teenage sensation reached the third round, defeating 19th-seeded Humbert of France in straight sets.
Next up for the 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro will be Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday – live on Sky Sports Tennis.
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Highlights of the match between teen sensations Fonseca and Learner Tien
Fonseca’s 6-4 6-3 win means he is the youngest man to reach the third round since Juan Martin del Potro in 2007 and the youngest man to reach an ATP Masters 1000 third round since 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz did so in Paris back in 2021.
Talking about his decision to take up playing tennis rather than football, Fonseca said: “When I was 11 or 12, I had a small injury. I played with older players, but then I fell on my glutes and spent two months injured. I said, ‘mom, I just don’t want to play soccer anymore, I want to continue 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 is inspired by Brazilian playmaker Neymar
Fonseca, who came through a thrilling first-round encounter against fellow teen Learner Tien, says he is inspired 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,” said Fonseca.
“Really unbelievable players.”
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Jack Draper’s match against Jakub Mensik was suspended after Brazilian fans started booing when they found out Fonseca’s match had been moved to the main stadium having waited all day
Humbert could not help but be impressed by Fonseca’s attacking approach during their contest, which was moved to the main stadium court from Grandstand – upsetting thousands of Brazilian fans who had turned up early to get a seat for the match.
Humbert told 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 so far…
Fonseca upset ninth seed Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open earlier this year
Brazil’s Fonseca is the most-talked-about talent and he delivered one of the upsets of the Australian Open against ninth seed Andrey Rublev.
He became the first player born in 2006 to win an ATP Tour singles title as he underlined his status as one of tennis’ most promising stars by defeating Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 7-6 (7-1) in the Argentina Open final last month.
Fonseca said 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 Next Gen ATP Finals champion has already cracked the top 100. In the past 12 months, the Brazilian has risen from No 651 to a career-high world No 60 ahead of the Miami Open.
He is the youngest top-100 player since Alcaraz in October 2021 and the youngest Brazilian to break into the top 100 in rankings history.
“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 said. “But, at the same time, you need to be focused.
“People are going to say a lot, have more expectations. You need to stay focused on your routine, to work more and more.”
Asked what he considers his greatest strength, Fonseca said: “Technically, it’s definitely my forehand.”
And here’s why… his forehand hit speeds of 113mph during his win against Humbert in Miami.
His shot speed on average is 81mph compared to the Tour average of 76mph, and his spin rate of 3,019 rotations per minute is well above the Tour average of 2,844rpm.
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Take a look back at Roger Federer’s best-ever backhand shots on the ATP Tour over the years…
Tennis Channel commentator Mark Petchey, the former British No 1, who has been working with Emma Raducanu in Miami, said: “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 find the line to hit winners, which is always optically a good sign that something’s a little special.”
When quizzed about who is the greatest tennis player of all time, Fonseca said: “Federer. There’s no way 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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