Joao Fonseca’s Roland Garros campaign has gone from promising start to full breakthrough. The 19-year-old Brazilian is into the quarterfinals after beating Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud.
His comeback win over Djokovic grabbed the headlines, but beating two-time finalist Ruud showed this was more than one shock result. Fonseca now faces Jakub Mensik for a semifinal place.
Even before that, the Brazilian’s rise was turning heads. Then Adam Lefkoe, a TNT Sports presenter, shared a backstage story that brought Jannik Sinner into the picture.
Adam Lefkoe shares Jannik Sinner role in Joao Fonseca rise
When speaking on TNT Sports coverage of Roland Garros on Monday, Lefkoe said the detail came from the former world No. 4 Mary Joe Fernandez.
He stated: “I also heard this from Mary Joe, because she knows everything. Apparently it was a hitting session with Sinner, where Sinner looked at Joao and was like, ‘I know you’re supposed to go to college, [but] you got to go pro.”
It is a fascinating detail, especially in the Roland Garros context, since Sinner is no longer in the draw after struggling physically in the Paris heat before losing to Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
Fonseca, though, is still going. If that advice from Sinner helped shape his decision to turn pro, the timing now looks even more significant.
Fonseca’s power, composure and resilience already look built for this level, and the Italian star appears to have spotted it early.
On Tuesday, the 19-year-old Brazilian will play the biggest game of his career so far, and he could add another layer to Sinner’s prediction about him.
Read more:
