Carlos Alcaraz full of praise for Joao Fonseca ahead of Miami Open clash: ‘I love watching him’

Speaking to Tennis TV, Alcaraz said: “I love watching him. We could see last year how big Fonseca is here in Miami.

“I think it’s great to see a lot of people and a lot of fans around, screaming and cheering, hearing them so loudly. I think it’s great. So just trying to take the joga bonito [play beautiful] from Brazil.”

Fonseca might have lost to Sinner, but he pushed the Italian close in both sets. When asked what he made of the match, Alcaraz replied: “I think he has the level, he has the shots, he has the power.

“I would say that he has everything. A lot of things to improve, obviously, but if he does the right things he is going to be there for sure.

“He is going to fight for great things. He has to improve. He has to learn how to deal with expectation.

“How to deal with everything on court. And obviously, to choose the right things all the time. When or if he does it, he is going to be a player to beat.”

Fonseca knows there’s plenty of expectation building around his future in the game – but for now his focus will be on another test against one of the very best players on Tour.

Joao Fonseca and Carlos Alcaraz’s previous meeting

While Fonseca and Alcaraz have never faced each other on the ATP Tour, they have crossed paths once before in an exhibition match.

Back in December, at the Miami Invitational, the two met for the first time. The match went to a third-set tiebreaker, with Alcaraz edging it to take the win.

There were 14,108 fans in attendance for that one. But now with ATP points and prize money at stake, there’s even more on the line.

Sinner’s victory at Indian Wells narrowed that gap by 1,000 points, leaving him just 2,150 behind Alcaraz.