Joao Fonseca believes he needs to improve his mindset on the court after losing in the third round of the Madrid Masters to fellow teenager Rafael Jodar.
27th seed Fonseca, who was playing his first match in the tournament after receiving a walkover in the previous round, was edged out 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1 by the home favourite. After snatching the middle set, Fonseca crumbled in the decider, where he lost five consecutive games and could only produce one winner. The showdown was the first time the two 19-year-olds had faced each other on the Tour.
“Of course, there was a technical strategy in place. However, I think the most important aspect of the match was the mental game,” Fonseca told reporters afterwards.
“We both stepped onto the court feeling a bit nervous, which is completely normal. It was my first match in Madrid, while for him it was his third. Plus, we were two young players facing off against each other, which inevitably leads us to overthink things.
“He got the first break, and then I managed to break back. We were both playing at a high level. In the tiebreak, I think he was slightly better. I missed some shots I shouldn’t have missed. He took advantage of his opportunity, played well, and won it.
“At the beginning of the third set I felt better; I’d even say I was on top of him. I was taking more of the initiative in the match. However, after 40-15, when I missed some easy forehands, frustration set in.”
Fonseca has won 10 of 18 ATP matches so far this season, reaching the quarter-finals at his two previous tournaments. He is currently 29th in the PIF ATP live rankings, which is five places below his career best.
Whilst the Brazilian has a bright future ahead of him, Fonseca admits there is room for improvement. Especially when it comes to the mental aspect of his game. He is coached on the Tour by Guilherme Teixeira.
“My attitude on the court needs to be better. It’s an area we need to work on,” he admits.
“In that sense, I feel that it was undoubtedly a difficult match. My main focus was on the mental aspect, since I knew we were both feeling the pressure. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to manage it in the third set.”
As for Jodar, he continues his rapid rise up the rankings. At the start of this year, he was 168th in the world, but is now 42nd. Since reaching the third round of Miami as a qualifier, he has won his first Tour title in Morocco and reached the semi-finals in Barcelona. The rising star has won 11 of 12 matches played on the clay this season.
“He’s a great player who’s achieving impressive results and climbing the rankings very quickly,” Fonseca said of his rival.
“He has all the qualities to become an extraordinary player. Facing an opponent younger than me on the ATP Tour made me a bit nervous. It’s a situation we have to get used to and see how we respond to it.”
Jodar now has a shot of reaching his first masters 1000 quarter-final in his birthplace of Madrid. He will next play Czech underdog Vit Kopriva, who has already beaten seeds Andrey Rublev and Arthur Rinderknech (via retirement). Jodar is the second teenager wildcard to reach the last 16 of the Madrid Open after Juan Martin del Potro in 2007.
