18-year-old Joao Fonseca doesn’t want to have high expectations ahead of his debut at the Indian Wells Open.
Fonseca is the teenage prodigy who has stolen all the headlines in the past few months. He famously stunned Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open with an incredible level, and he stole even more spotlight only weeks later.
The Brazilian teenager won the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, lifting his maiden ATP-level trophy. That win catapulted him deep into the Top 100, which means he will now get a chance to complete the full ATP calendar.
He will start with the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season – the Indian Wells Open. It will be his debut at the tournament, but even though he now has sufficient ranking to enter the main draw, he still had to rely on the wild card from the tournament organizers.
That’s because the entry deadline for this tournament was before his breakthrough run in Buenos Aires, which means that Fonseca would qualify only for the qualifying. He was well aware of that during his pre-tournament interview with ATP Media, thanking the tournament organizers for the wild card.
“I just want to thank the tournament directors for this opportunity. Playing these kinds of tournaments is the goal of every player. I want to be at the top tournaments, and people say that this is the fifth Grand Slam. It’s super cool, it’s amazing how they treat the players. Hopefully, I can enjoy it a lot.”
With everyone following the progress of the 18-year-old prodigy, Fonseca knows that all eyes will be on him in Indian Wells. However, he doesn’t want to have any big expectations.
This will be his second ATP Masters 1000 tournament after he reached the second round at the Madrid Open last year. Still, Fonseca doesn’t want to think about any big results. Instead, he wants to focus on improving as a player.
“I’m just trying to improve my game. Trying to improve in the rankings so I can play those tournaments: The 500s, the 1000s. I’m just working very hard – me and my team – to be here with the top players.”
Since it’s Fonseca’s first time in Indian Wells, he was also asked about how he liked it at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The tournament is famously called the “fifth Grand Slam,” and the Brazilian teenager got to know why. He really likes it in Indian Wells.
“It feels amazing. I didn’t expect the beauty… There are so many mountains, it’s literally like a desert. It’s really, really cool. The place for the players is also super cool. There’s grass areas that are for the players, cool restaurants, so it’s really nice.”
Fonseca’s first opponent in Indian Wells will be Jacob Fearnley. If he wins that match, the 18-year-old will play against the 13th-seeded Jack Draper.
