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Alcaraz: “We will see more Fonseca in the future”
Spaniards share thoughts on Sinner-Fonseca encounter
March 12, 2026
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz was full of praise for Joao Fonseca’s performance at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Written by ATP Staff
Jannik Sinner’s clash with Joao Fonseca at the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday captured the attention of the tennis world and appeared to be the start of a budding rivalry. Even PIF ATP World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was watching this interesting matchup, which Sinner won 7-6(6), 7-6(4).
Alcaraz was asked about the matchup after earning a spot in the quarterfinals in California, and he was full of praise for the rising 19-year-old Fonseca, despite her loss.
“Obviously when someone goes head-to-head with Janik, that means he has to play great tennis and perform very, very well,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t watch the whole match, but I saw Joao playing great tennis. I’m really happy to see Joao play like this, to reach this level.”
While Alcaraz leads 10-6 against Sinner, the Spaniard is yet to play his first Lexus ATP meeting with Fonseca. Like Alcaraz and Sinner, Fonseca is a former Next Generation ATP Finals champion, which the Brazilian won in 2024.
“I’m a player and someone who likes to see players grow. As a person, as a player, he’s really young and he’s definitely going to learn from this experience,” Alcaraz said of Fonseca. “I’m really excited to see where Joao is now and definitely we’ll be seeing a lot more of Joao in the future.”
Alcaraz continued his perfect season on Wednesday, beating No. 13 seed Caspar Ruud to extend his winning streak to 15 games. The next top seed is 2021 champion Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz lost to Nouri at the Rolex Paris Masters in November.
“I really wanted revenge,” Alcaraz said. “It was really difficult against Cam, I had a good battle with him. Lefties are always difficult to deal with. He can change the height of the ball, his backhand is very flat, and [heavy] Forehand topspin. Sometimes you can be a little confused as to how the ball comes to you.
“He was a gladiator. He was a true warrior, fighting for every ball, every game, every set.”
