“Like Guga and Roger, I want to be someone people admire for his tennis and for his charisma” – Joao Fonseca on his UTS Rio debut

Joao Fonseca’s UTS debut delivered a home win, a lopsided loss and one of the loudest atmospheres of his young career, all in the space of a single Day 2. In this Q&A, compiled from all chats with Tennis Majors and UTS team all allege the day, the 19-year-old talks through both matches, what it means to play in front of his own crowd, and the kind of player – and person – he wants to be remembered as.

Joao Fonseca, please sum up your first experience at UTS Friday tonight – two matches, one win (9-19, 14-13, 17-10, 18-9 against Griekspoor), one loss (16-11, 17-10, 19-11 against Kyrgios), and you’re not through to the Final Four.

Joao Fonseca: For sure, different format. In the first match against Griekspoor, first quarter, I was still figuring things out a little, and then I understood it more. In the second match against Kyrgios I already understood the game, but I was still managing the timing and when to use the cards. Nick played better for sure, better in the important points. He has a good serve, and I think he fits well in this format. In this format anyone can win, and it was difficult for sure. It was a fun match – we entertained the crowd, and tomorrow there’s more.

What stopped you finding a solution against Nick — was it the fast format, or was he just too strong?

Joao Fonseca: I think both. He played well, and I’m not going to take his merit away, he played better than me. But the format suits him a little more too. He likes serving, like I said, and he did really well at the net. I was missing a lot of serves and missing the points where I had the card. So it was tough because of that as well.

The court felt slower than usual but the format is fast – what was your impression?

Joao Fonseca: The court is a bit slower, but the format is very fast, so the rallies get long. I don’t know if I adapted to it in the best way possible, but Nick played well today — all credit to him.
Was it hard to keep your composure with the crowd so loud, especially against Nick’s serve?
Joao Fonseca: I couldn’t even hear it. When he served, I didn’t know whether to call it out or not, I couldn’t hear the ball. I tried to get the crowd going to see if he’d miss, and he missed most of the ones I called for, because it really was that loud.

It was the first time the crowd chanted your name instead of just cheering. How did that feel?

Joao Fonseca: A bit embarrassing, to be honest. But I like it when the crowd shows up like that – I like it when they chant my name, I think it helps me in the middle of the match. So it was a bit much, but it was fun. Embarrassing, but fun.

Any frustration walking away with a loss in front of your home fans?

Joao Fonseca: I think just having had this experience is already really cool – playing here in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro, with this crowd, the kids, everyone shouting. That affection is really special. Obviously I tried to play to win, but Nick played well – I give him all the credit.

The other Brazilian in the field, Guto Miguel takes your place in the Final Four. What do you make of his week?

Joao Fonseca: Much better than me. He’s adapted better to the conditions and he’s playing good matches, really focused. I hope he keeps that mentality, feet on the ground. He’s a good kid with a good team around him. I hope now he can represent us out there.

In Rome this year you’ve said that Brazilian fans can get loud to feel almost like a football stadium and it could be kind of embarrassing if we might say. Can you dig on that?

Joao Fonseca: I don’t think it’s embarrassing. I’m just saying sometimes they treat tennis courts like a football stadium. Here, it can be. That’s the great thing about it, and hopefully they cheer for me and make a lot of noise. On the rest of the Tour, it’s difficult to play like that.

Since beating Djokovic and reaching a Grand Slam quarterfinal, a lot of people have upgraded their estimation of your game, your potential and your status. Do you feel that shift too?

Joao Fonseca: I still feel I’m new on Tour, this is really my first year playing the full schedule. I think people know a bit more about me now, and that brings expectations. I know that’s normal, I know it’s coming. I know they also put expectations on me because they support me and believe in me, and I take that in a positive way. I try to stay calm, feet on the ground, stay humble, and just focus on my routine to improve as a person and as a player.

Have you set new goals for the second half of the season?

Joao Fonseca: I think it’s about continuing to improve. This year has been a lot about experience – defending points for the first time, dealing with nervousness and expectations. My goal is just to maintain a good rhythm and play with good consistency. That’s what I expect from myself for the rest of the year.

No specific ranking or trophy targets, that’s what we understand?

Joao Fonseca: Personal goals are something I usually discuss with my team, but we never really think in terms of ranking. I mean, technically I need to reach the semifinals here or there to defend my points – but no, I just play match by match and focus on what I can control.

Looking further ahead – if we sat down again in 15 years, at the end of your career, what kind of player do you want to have been.

Joao Fonseca: I want to be someone people admire, not only for his tennis, but also for his charisma, the way he talks, the way he treats people. I get that a lot from my idols – Guga and Roger. They’re great not just because of their tennis; they’re idols because of their charisma, how they treat people. I want to be known for that too.

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Joao Fonseca is back in action today, facing Corentin Moutet in a classification match before the Final Four gets underway at the Maracanazinho. Full schedule:

• 12pm: Classification match 1 — Joao Fonseca vs. Corentin Moutet
• 1pm: Semi-Final 1 — Guto Miguel vs. Francisco Cerundolo
• 2pm: Semi-Final 2 — Nick Kyrgios vs. Brandon Nakashima
• 3pm: Classification match 2 — Tallon Griekspoor vs. Cameron Norrie
• 4pm: Final