Sinner praises Fonseca: "Now that I have played against him, I am convinced he will do great things"

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Jannik Sinner had to sweat this early morning to defeat Joao Fonseca in the round of 16 at Indian Wells 2026, but the victory felt so good that it later allowed him to dissect some thoughts that arose after completing his work on the court.

Happy for the win, of course, but also impressed by the level he found on the other side of the net in the form of Joao Fonseca. The Brazilian needed a test like this to assess his current standing, an answer that Jannik Sinner himself could obtain at the same time looking ahead. The Italian didn't hesitate to praise all the qualities of his opponent, a man destined to be among the top positions in the rankings, fighting with the best for major titles. I'm not saying it, the current World No. 2 is. Let's listen to his post-match statements.

Evaluation of the victory

"I felt it was an important match, very crucial points. I found some good solutions, but it was very difficult, it was a very complicated match. It was also a matchup that I was looking forward to, Joao is a player of very high quality, so I am very happy to get the win."

How are Jannik Sinner and Joao Fonseca alike?

"From my point of view, each player is different. Definitely, it is clear that he has qualities similar to mine if we see how we have evolved in recent years but, at the same time, we also have some different aspects. There are things that many times he does better, while other times I do. Joao is on that path of how to approach this sport, while I have my personal one. I see he is in good hands, he has a great team around him and he is a very hardworking guy."

Issues in the conclusion of the second set

"These are things that can happen, but I didn't find the right way, maybe I didn't do it too well on the first two points. Then, at 0-30, he made a couple of really good points. You know, it can happen, the important thing is to come back after. In both tiebreaks I tried to go for them, trying to be aggressive, I think that's where the difference was. It's tough to play against him, he served very well throughout the match, maybe he dropped a bit at the end of the second set. But yes, I felt that the crucial moments today fell on my side, in the end, those are the moments that decide these types of matches."

Joao Fonseca's Best Attributes

"I think he has no fear, he likes to go for his shots, he is very aggressive, and he has a great mindset. As I mentioned earlier, I think he is in very good hands, he has a positive approach to tennis, which is very important, especially in young players. I don't know him well off the court, but he seems like a very humble guy, a humble player. It will surely be very difficult to beat him in the future, it already is today, but in the future, it will be even more so. It is good for the sport to have someone like Joao, also Learner (Tien), they are two very consistent guys, two amazing players."

Jannik Sinner Predicts Joao Fonseca's Future

"I can't predict the future, I don't know, but he is already a player of tremendous quality. We have all been able to see this, now that I have played against him, I am sure he will do great things in the future. You know how this works, it takes a lot of work, as we all put in. Things can change at any time, but Joao has everything it takes to be an incredible player. Right now he already is one, but he can be even more, so I wish him the best."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sinner alaba a Fonseca: “Ahora que he jugado contra él, estoy convencido que hará grandes cosas”