Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca believes he is heading in the right direction after losing a three-set battle at the Miami Open on Monday.
The 18-year-old was ousted 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, by world No.11 Alex de Minaur after battling on the court for more than two-and-a-half hours. Fonseca had two break point opportunities at 4-4 in the second set but was unable to convert. Known for his explosive tennis, his 20 winners were overshadowed by an unforced error count of 43.
Despite his defeat, Fonseca is drawing plenty of positives from the Masters 1000 event where he beat Learner Tien and 19th seed Ugo Humbert earlier in the draw.
“Playing with the top players, you kind of know where’s your level is,” he told reporters in Miami.
“I really see that I’m [on] the right way, I’m [on] the right path, playing some good matches against top, top players. This is where I want to be. Happy the way I played those matches.
“Against Ugo, against Learner. There is the next promise, the next American promise. He’s playing some good tennis. Today against Alex I played a good match. It was only the little things, only an opportunity that he got it. I mean, learning? Is my second year on tour, so yeah, getting some new experiences.”
Fonseca has already achieved a series of milestones this season. He won his first ATP title in Buenos Aires and won his first Grand Slam main draw match at the Australian Open by defeating Andrey Rublev. Currently at a ranking-high of No.60 in the world, he has won nine out of 14 matches played so far in 2025.
Alongside Fonseca’s rise in the sport is a surge in his popularity among tennis fans with many Brazilians turning up to support him in Miami. So much so that de Minaur described the atmosphere as ‘Possibly the loudest atmospheres he ever played in.’
“I knew it was going to be crowded, but I didn’t know it was going to be huge. It was super nice being here.” Said Fonseca.
Towards the closing stages of his clash with de Minaur, Fonseca used the crowd to help him maintain his competitiveness.
“I was super good physically. I just wanted to entertain. Probably was going to be my last minutes (playing) this year in Miami. So, I mean, I was just enjoying it,” he explained.
“It was 30-15 to him (de Minaur). People were calling Joao Fonseca. I was just fighting.
“I was just enjoying the moment. Was looking at my coach, just laughing, just enjoying it.
“It’s my job, but it’s the job that I love, so you need to enjoy it sometimes.”
Fonseca’s focus will now switch to the European clay swing. Despite being a relative newcomer to the Tour, he has already played eight ATP events (250 or above) on the surface so far in his career.
