The 3 key aspects that Joao Fonseca needs to improve the most

Jose Morón | 21 Mar 2026 | 14.04

The 3 key aspects that Joao Fonseca most needs to improve. Photo: Getty.

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If I were Joao Fonseca, I would do well to listen to what Carlos Alcaraz told him last night at the press conference. He gave him one of those pieces of advice that may go unnoticed but are worth their weight in gold. The player from Murcia, who followed a similar path when he burst onto the circuit at just 18 years old, pointed out the direction Joao should take to progress along the right path.

You only learn things when you face the best. This may sound like a cliché, but it is as obvious as it is true. If you face the world number 90 and easily defeat them, you won't gain much insight into what you might be lacking. When you play consecutively against the world number 2 and the number 1, with defeats in both encounters, that's when you get the best feedback on what you need to work on for your future. It's only then that you realize what weapons you need to face the best.

Alcaraz and Sinner Faced the Same in Their Beginnings

I remember perfectly what happened in May 2021. It was a hot afternoon on May 5th in the capital of Spain. Rafael Nadal, then the world number 2 with a couple more Grand Slams waiting for him, faced him in what seemed like a duel between a legend and an aspirant. Although few predicted back then what was to come with Carlitos, in Spain, there was enthusiasm to see what this boy from El Palmar, who showed such promise in juniors, could become.

The match was one-sided. Carlitos, who had just turned 18 that same day, was so nervous that he could barely keep a ball in play. Rafa dominated him in a little over an hour. The Spaniard won 6-1 6-2, while on social media, there were comments questioning whether this Alcaraz kid was as good as they said and suggesting that the press was exaggerating. We laugh now at all that.

Alcaraz gained valuable learning from observing what Rafa did during the match. Things that he could later apply in training to implement them in matches. It was like a private lesson. That match made him a better player afterward.

The same happened to Sinner. Surely the Italian had several of these encounters at the beginning of his career. One of them was against Nadal himself in Roland Garros 2020 (by the way, I encourage people to watch the footage of that match on YouTube to see how much Jannik has progressed. He looks like a different player), but I'll focus on the match with Carlitos in Paris 2021. Why? Because that night, Sinner changed everything.

The Italian, two years older than Alcaraz, lost to Carlitos and took away a clear lesson. He couldn't understand how that kid did so many things right on the court and outplayed him. That's when he realized he needed to change his path and a few months later, he parted ways with Riccardo Piatti and made a significant shift in his career. It's only when you face someone better than you and see everything they do on the court that you realize what areas of your game you need to work on.

The Learning Joao Fonseca Takes Away from Facing Sinner and Alcaraz

Last night in Miami, Carlos stated that Joao reminded him of himself in his early days and encouraged him to work on decision-making, among other aspects. From within, Fonseca and his team have surely noted the two or three main areas to focus on in the upcoming weeks or months during training. From an external perspective, we see what Joao seems to be lacking.

His Backhand: Fonseca's Main Weakness

Whenever there was a tense moment or a pressured situation, both Sinner and Alcaraz targeted that particular area on the Brazilian player, causing him to lose the point in the vast majority of instances. His forehand is powerful, top-notch on a world-class level in the future, but his backhand lacks consistency and needs additional tools and variations to become stronger there, either to turn it into a future offensive weapon or to sustain and transition to his forehand shot.

Disastrous was that 2 out of 16 points won by Fonseca against Alcaraz when the Spaniard directed the ball to his backhand side. Reviewing the statistics, Joao hit 60 backhands in his match against Carlos, with an 82% success rate. While highly effective, it didn't cause much damage. This is a key factor. If you have a weak point, you must protect it to prevent the top players from exploiting it. Joao may evade attacks in that area against many players, but when facing the top-ranked ones, which is what matters to him, that won't cut it.

His Lateral Mobility: Key to Work on His Fitness

He did reasonably well against Sinner in a match with high ball bounces and a rougher court surface. In Miami, with higher humidity and lower bounce, requiring good mobility, he showed his weaknesses against a player like Alcaraz who changes directions and speeds effortlessly.

Alcaraz outplayed him with changing directions, sudden shifts, and drop shots. That split second that Joao took longer to change directions, Alcaraz punished him without discrimination. Although he has improved compared to the past year, the Brazilian still has a lot of work to do physically to reach the top. At 19 years old, with his body still developing, it's crucial for him to focus on improving his agility and strength in this regard.

Serve and Decision-Making: Avoiding Error Chains

His serve saved him significantly in the match against Sinner. However, against Alcaraz, his serve didn't live up to expectations. Without those free points, he always ends up on the defensive in his service games and has to put in extra effort. In other words, he tires more. He has a solid foundation; it's just a matter of refining the details to make his serve intimidating.

Perhaps most importantly, it's his decision-making. When Joao's focus is off, he tends to make a string of errors, leading to clear defeats. On days when everything clicks, he can finish with 30 winners and barely 10 errors. But when things aren't going well, the numbers flip. Yesterday, against Carlos, he ended the match with only 4 forehand winners and 20 errors in total. Too much disparity.

Hopefully, Joao has taken note of these two matches to start his on-court work as soon as possible and become a better player. The circuit needs players like him, capable of challenging the world's best and offering skills that attract fans. Yesterday, not only in the stands but worldwide, there was tremendous excitement about his match against Alcaraz, following what was seen last week against Sinner. Let's see what happens next time he faces them.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los 3 aspectos clave que más necesita mejorar Joao Fonseca

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