John McEnroe calls Joao Fonseca the ‘next Carlos Alcaraz’ after Andrey Rublev win
Tennis legend John McEnroe has heaped praise on Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca after his win over Andrey Rublev, and believes that “he’ll be the man soon”.
The 18-year-old lit the tennis scene alight with a truly spellbinding win over the Russian in the first round of the Australian Open, dominating 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6(5) to defeat the world No 9.
Tuesday marked a few milestones for Fonseca, including his first Grand Slam match, his first win over a top 10 player, and the fastest forehand of the tournament, among others.
The Brazilian breezed through qualifying, and dominated the Next Gen ATP Finals in December, as well as a Challenger event in Canberra – putting him on a 14-match winning streak. Indeed, the win also represented his 19th consecutive set won.
As a result, McEnroe – while speaking to Eurosport – was not shy in exclaiming his praise towards the teenager,stating: “The guy made Rublev look like he wasn’t hitting a big ball. He’s totally composed, and he’s physically – at 18 years old – he looks as strong as an ox already. Mentally, he looks really tough.”
The seven-time Grand Slam champion also went on to highlight Fonseca’s main strength – his forehand.
“He’s hit the hardest forehand in the tournament already, so we don’t have to worry about that. He hit a couple of sweet two-handers,” the former world No 1 added.
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Comparisons to world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz have been made all over social media, with the Spaniard scoring a similar win when he was an 18-year-old versus Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2021 US Open, announcing himself to the tennis world.
It didn’t take long after for the Spaniard to develop his tennis game further, making the fourth round at the very next Australian Open, the semi-finals of Indian Wells, and winning Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, and the US Open.
Whilst it is far too early to naturally expect the Brazilian to have such a season, the American legend sought to draw similar comparisons between the two, stating: “When I look at him, I look at the next Carlos Alcaraz. I can’t believe how good this guy is already.
“He just needs some seasoning. I can’t believe how good this guy is already. I’m not sure there’s a whole lot he needs to work on, just point him on the right path, pat him on the back.
“Do your thing, buddy, because you’re going to be the man soon.”
Fonseca will next face Lorenzo Sonego on Thursday for a spot in the third round. One thing is for sure, all eyes will be on 1573 Arena come match day.
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