‘Very happy’ Joao Fonseca handles his nerves in sublime SW19 debut

Oli Dickson Jefford 30 Jun 2025 6:36 PM

Pictured: Joao Fonseca celebrates after a win.

Joao Fonseca’s 2025 has been full of career firsts, and a stunning display in his maiden Wimbledon campaign suggests that he is not quite done breaking new ground.

The youngest man in the men’s singles draw this year, 18-year-old Fonseca delivered a statement performance against home favourite Jacob Fearnley, defeating the Brit 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(5).

Conditions in SW19 on Monday felt more Brazilian than British, with sweltering conditions circling inside Court One, and Fonseca certainly gave his opponent little room to breathe.

World No 51 Fearnley is three places above the 18-year-old in the rankings, but a gulf in class between the two was apparent – not least with Fonseca’s forehand, which fizzled and dominated in the searing heat.

Perhaps Fonseca’s most remarkable quality, though, is not his forehand or his booming serve, which was close to impenetrable out on Court One.

His biggest quality is arguably his mentality and maturity, an 18-year-old playing with the clarity of a competitor well beyond his years.

At 4-4 in the opening set, the Brazilian found himself 0-40 down on serve, with the thousands inside Wimbledon’s second-largest court all but completely behind his opponent, the British No 2.

A lesser player would have caved under pressure, but there is nothing ‘lesser’ about Fonseca.

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The Brazilian turned the tide to hold serve and was rampant for a good half hour after that, winning eight of nine games to storm into a two-sets-to-love lead.

That composure again came to the fore late on, saving a set point to force a tiebreak in the third set, before rallying from 2-5 down in the breaker to seal a straight-sets win.

Fonseca looked cool, calm, and collected from the outside on Court One, but, perhaps naturally, there were some nerves for him to deal with.

“The moment of the tiebreak, I just felt like: ‘Honestly, okay, it’s going to the fourth set, he played well. He’s playing well, he’s getting his serves well.’ Yeah, I didn’t play very good in the beginning of the tiebreak,” said Fonseca.

“When he was serving 5-2, he made a double-fault. I said to me, That’s my chance. I made a good return and he lost the first forehand. Also, a little bit more nerves from both sides.

“I served really well in the important points. 4-5 I was serving ace, and 5-All ace again. 6-5 could go to both sides.

“I’m very happy with the way I could manage the important points doing good serves and increasing the level.”

So often in his young career, Fonseca has found the crowd to be on his side, with a strong Brazilian following and a growing international following ever since his Australian Open breakthrough.

This was the second straight major where the tables were turned, with the teen facing Pierre-Hugues Herbert at Roland Garros last month, though it doesn’t seem to be a hindrance to him.

Fonseca breezed past Herbert in Paris and was largely in control against Fearnley on Monday, inside one of the largest courts he’s ever played inside.

He added: “Normally, I play with the crowd. The crowd is normally on my side.

“But today, I also thanked after the match, the British crowd, they respected the match. If it was in Brazil, probably it’s going to be disturbing for Jacob.

“But yeah, they [the crowd] really respected. It means a lot. I saw some voices in Portuguese, I felt really well during the match. Didn’t disturb me at all.”

Victory was symbolic for Fonseca regarding a first win at the All England Club, but it could also provide another milestone in the weeks to come.

The Brazilian is currently at a career-high ranking of world No 54 but, in the ATP Live Rankings, is up to world No 47 – making a top 50 debut more than likely once the tournament is over.

Fonseca is not one to dwell on big rankings milestones, but he does admit there is one goal in mind.

“I’m just taking match by match, not thinking very much about the ranking. Of course, there is a goal for me to be a seeded player in the next Grand Slams. It’s a goal for me.

“It’s going to be week after week, focusing on the match, not in the results. If I’m going to play good, well. If I’m going to play good and lose the match…

“Yeah, I’m just focusing on the next match and not about the ranking.”