Carlos Alcaraz is preparing for the ATP Finals in Turin and he took to the court with one of the brightest stars of the game on for his latest practice session.
The player in question also hit the court with world No 4 Jannik Sinner earlier this week as he cemented his reputation as the most talked about junior player in the game.
The teenager in question is the 17-year-old Joao Fonseca, the 2023 US Open champion and a player who already has a huge reputation in the game.
He reached the quarter-finals in the junior events at this year’s Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, before cementing his reputation as the biggest young star in the game by winning the final junior major of 2023.
Fonseca is ranked at No 1 in the ITF Junior rankings and is eyeing up a crack at a leap into the senior ranks in 2024.
In an interview with the ITF last year, Fonseca outlined his story in tennis so far and highlighted what he hopes lies in his future.
“I started playing tennis when I was four years old,” he said.
“I come from a sport family where everybody plays sport. I started with my mum who loves tennis and I fell in love with the sport too.
“When I was nine or 10, I started playing tournaments in Brazil, while by 12 I was among the top five players in Brazil and often getting to semi-finals. Until the age of 12 it was always tennis and soccer, but from then I chose tennis.
“There is a long way to go and I just have to trust my coaches and my family, who support me a lot. I am just enjoying myself and I am so happy.”
A simpatia do menino 🇪🇸CARLINHOS ALCARAZ cumprimentando o menino 🇧🇷JOÃO FONSECA.
Imagina a grandeza da experiência pro João e o treinador dele (Guilherme Teixeira) de conviver um dia c/ Sinner e Cahill (tbm já treinou Agassi, Hewitt, Murray etc) e no outro, c/ Alcaraz e Ferrero. pic.twitter.com/SaBBDycqla
— Tênis Para Além do Óbvio 🎾 (Alemzão) (@AlemTenis) November 8, 2023
When asked to describe his brand of tennis he added: “I am aggressive and I like to end a point in three shots – I don’t like to run a lot. I would describe myself as a very aggressive player.”
He lists Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev as his favourite players, as well as Brazilian legend Gustavo Kuerten and after winning the Junior US Open title, he delivered mature comments to the media.
“The win made me very happy,” he stated. “I am grateful to the people who have worked for me, my family, my coaches who are my other family. I have to keep working hard because I want more.
“I learned at a very young age to relate well with the fans. Whatever they give me, they make me stronger and many times that helps me to turn games around. If they support you or if they are with your rival, that’s where mental factors come in. I always use that to my advantage.
“Now I’m thinking about professionalism. I’ve already won a Grand Slam and I’m number one as a junior, so I’m past that stage. I think that in professional tournaments, being young and having no pressure will make me play very loose. I will be able to show my game.”
Alcaraz is said to have been impressed by the quality of the balls Fonseca served up to him in Turin and we might not have long to wait to see these two young players doing battle in much more than a practice session.
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz makes major schedule announcement for 2024 tennis season
