"When you're young there's no pressure": Alexander Zverev on Joao Fonseca’s rise

Alexander Zverev spoke about young sensation Joao Fonseca, whom he believes will become a great player, emphasizing that at 18, "it's almost the best time" to compete on the Tour. The world No. 2 is the top favourite in Indian Wells and will make his debut on Friday against Tallon Griekspoor.

The German knows what it takes to rise quickly in the Tour. In 2015, at just 18, he broke into the top 75, and by the following year, he had already entered the top 20. Since 2017, Zverev has finished five seasons inside the top 4 and two more in the top 7. The only year he failed to end inside the top 10 was in 2022, when he suffered a well-remembered injury at the French Open, forcing him out from May until the end of the season.

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The young star of the moment is Brazil’s Joao Fonseca, who recently reached his career-high ranking of world No. 68 after winning his first ATP title at the Argentina Open. He also started the season with his first top-100 victory against Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open and was the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals champion.

Having arrived at Indian Wells, Zverev, as someone who has experienced a rapid rise in the Tour, shared his thoughts on what it takes to maintain consistency over the years. The German pointed out that playing at 18 is a great moment in a player's career because there is no pressure like that faced by experienced professionals.

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"It's almost the best time because everything seems so easy. You just see the ball, see your opponent at the net, and there are no other thoughts. He’s very young, very, very talented. He’s going to be a great player, for sure. I think he can be top 10 and maybe even beyond that.

"When you're young, you're swinging freely, enjoying your first moments on the professional circuit, and there is no pressure. I like what I'm seeing from him. I think he's a great player."

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Regarding Fonseca’s strengths, Zverev highlighted his power as his main weapon but admitted there is still room for improvement. "He has tremendous power from both sides. His serve is quite good. I think he still needs to work a lot on his movement. But overall, he has a lot of power, and it’s going to be interesting to see how he develops."

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