Serbian Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, shared his thoughts on the progress of 18-year-old Brazilian tennis player Joao Fonseca.
“He has the potential to become a tennis superstar, no doubt about it. He comes from Brazil, one of the largest countries in the world, where they love tennis, sports, and have very passionate people. It would be great to have a Brazilian superstar in our sport, the first really big one since Guga (Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion), who was an idol for many kids. Incredible guy.”
– Do you remember what it’s like to be an 18-year-old player and play so freely?
– “It all happens in flashes. But it’s a good feeling when you’re so young and playing at a high level, you don’t have much to lose, but rather gain. Of course, attention from people and support increases, and this contributes to a player’s progress. It gets to the point where pressure and some expectations arise from yourself, from others… It seems he is handling it very well. I don’t know him personally, but from what I’ve seen on the court, there is a sense of a good level of balance between professionalism and dedication. It’s pretty much the same as what we’ve seen from Alcaraz in recent years,” Djokovic said at a press conference before the start of the Masters in Indian Wells.
