Rising talent Joao Fonseca struggles in surprising Australian Open loss
Roger Federer had hailed Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca as a “sky’s the limit” talent ahead of the Australian Open, but the 19-year-old’s promising run was halted abruptly with a first-round defeat on Tuesday.
The 28th seed, who captured titles in Basel and Buenos Aires last season, fell 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 to American Eliot Spizzirri, struggling physically throughout the match.
Fonseca has been managing a back issue that forced him to withdraw from warm-up events in Brisbane and Adelaide. Despite that, he insisted he had no regrets about competing in Melbourne.
“I wasn’t playing 100 percent, but it gives me maturity to keep going, to understand my body, to understand my limits,” he said. “Hopefully I’m still young and I’m still gaining experience.”
Last year, Fonseca made a splash at Melbourne Park as a qualifier, defeating top-10 player Andrey Rublev in a breakthrough performance.
“My back is 100 percent now, I’m healthy again. I just needed time and rhythm,” he added. “I think this season is going to be great for me.”
Share this content:
