Fonseca’s talent was so evident at age 2 that even the yoga instructor noticed | ATP Tour

Reportage

Fonseca’s talent was so evident at age 2 that even the yoga instructor noticed it

Learn more about the Brazilian’s origin and his parents

August 08, 2024

Of all people, one Brazilian yoga teacher can proudly claim to have been one of the first to recognize João Fonseca’s athletic ability.

One of the rooms in the Fonseca home, now an office, was once an exercise space, where dad Christiano practiced jiu-jitsu and took yoga lessons at home. Meanwhile, two-year-old João played with a ball. But he was already excelling. The coordination was evident. The reaction time was impressively fast. It was in that same exercise room that João and his father began playing mini-tennis matches.

“We made a little net in the middle and I played a lot with my father,” Fonseca told ATPTour.com. “My dad played a match to 10. Sometimes he would win for me, other times it was a victory for him. I would cry, I remember that.”

Fonseca, now 17 and one of the hottest names in tennis, grew up a multi-sport athlete, playing soccer and tennis while also participating in jiu-jitsu and judo. It didn’t take long for the Fonsecas to realize their son had potential.

“When he was two, we thought, ‘This kid is different,’” Christiano said. “I remember my yoga teacher came here and started playing ball with Joao and he told me, ‘This kid is different. He has a lot more reflexes and coordination than average.’ At a very young age, we knew he was different.”

^{Joao Fonseca (left) as a child at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro. Credit: Fonseca Family}

From the age of eight to 11, Fonseca practiced for an hour a day, but that didn’t fully satisfy his hunger for tennis. After practice, he would go straight to hitting a wall or asking his parents to join him for more games.

“The first tournament we took him to, he was maybe nine years old,” Roberta recalled. “All the tournaments were on the weekends, so we said, ‘Pick a tournament to go to, because we can’t go every weekend.’ He picked a tournament and lost, I don’t remember, the second match.”

“He came out to the car and said, ‘Oh, please, I’d like to go to another one! Next week! ’ He had just lost his match and asked us to go with him to the next tournament because he wanted to play again. He loves to compete. I think that’s his motivation.”

Some of the family’s fondest memories are of their mountain vacation home, where they have a tennis court, which Joao couldn’t stay away from.

“I remember all the time he would ask someone to go to the court with him: ‘Please, let’s go to the court! Let’s go to the court!’” Christiano said. “He didn’t carry the racket. He would just drag the racket because it was too big for him. It was fun.”

Fonseca formed an immediate bond with coach Guilherme Teixeira at age 12. Not only did he look to Teixeira for tennis guidance, but he also considered him a second father and best friend.

Now sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Fonseca accelerated to new heights last year when he and Teixeira reached an agreement (during the junior US Open) that has since stood.

“I can only respond to people I know, good friends, on WhatsApp. I can’t have my Instagram before and after a match,” Fonseca said of his distraction-free approach. “So when I start a tournament, I barely check my Instagram. More my WhatsApp, I need to talk to my team sometimes and my family.”

By spending less time on social media, Fonseca saw a direct and immediate correlation in his on-court results. The teenager went on to capture the junior crown at the U.S. Open. Fonseca, who began this year at No. 730 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has climbed more than 500 spots and on Monday reached a career-best No. 166 after winning the 75th ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Lexington, Kentucky.

^{Joao Fonseca after winning the 2023 US Open junior. Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images}

Fonseca did not drop a set in five matches to become the youngest Brazilian champion in the history of the Challenger circuit (since 1978). And on the fifth anniversary of Jannik Sinner’s triumph at that same event, the Lexington Challenger crowned Fonseca. The Rio de Janeiro native lifted the title being one day younger (17 years, 11 months, 17 days) than the Italian.

^{Joao Fonseca (right) with Gustavo Kuerten. Credit: Fonseca Family}

Sinner won in Lexington and three months later emerged victorious at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, the under-20 event that Fonseca hopes to play in for the first time. Perhaps in five years, Fonseca can rise with as much fanfare as the Italian. At least he is doing everything he can to achieve that right now.

“In five years I will probably say that I will be grateful for having tried to make this mental change so early, at 17 years old.”