Joao Fonseca opens his Wimbledon debut on Monday against Roberto Bautista Agut as the 24th seed. The match gives Fonseca his first chance to test a seeded run at Wimbledon after a Roland Garros quarterfinals appearance that sharpened his confidence.
Fonseca and Wimbledon
Fonseca said that his early years made grass difficult to handle, but he has learned faster each season. He put it plainly: "No começo, no juvenil e nos primeiros anos no profissional, era difícil me adaptar, mas a cada ano eu aprendia mais rápido e mais facilmente".
He also pointed to the grass itself as the main adjustment. "A movimentação é o que eu mais adapto, eu me mantenho mais abaixado. O Sinner tem ótima movimentação na grama, ele consegue deslizar, o que muitos não sabem fazer. São coisas importantes nesse piso, pois a bola vem mais rápido e você precisa estar bem posicionado para produzir potência, tem que chegar antes na bola."
Halle and Wimbledon
His recent grass work came in Halle, where doubles with Daniel Altmaier helped him feel better on the surface and improve his serve. Fonseca said: "Neste ano em Halle, a adaptação veio um pouco depois da derrota na estreia (em simples). Jogar as duplas me ajudou a sentir melhor a grama e melhorar o meu saque. Infelizmente não pude jogar Eastbourne, mas estou me sentindo bem na grama. A cada dia jogo um pouco melhor na grama".
That run still carried friction. He lost in the first round of singles in Halle to Flavio Cobolli, and in 2024 he also fell in the first round of Halle singles to James Duckworth and in Wimbledon qualifying to Alejandro Moro Cañas. He did not play Eastbourne, so Monday brings a different test: a Wimbledon main-draw debut as a seed instead of another qualifying hurdle.
Roberto Bautista Agut in
Bautista Agut is 38 years old and reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2019, which makes him a demanding first-round opponent for a player taking a first seeded step at Grand Slam level. Fonseca said the key is to use the moment, stay focused, and play point by point against an experienced grass-court opponent.
Roland Garros is part of that confidence too. Fonseca said, "Aquele resultado foi importante pra mim de várias maneiras: me provou que posso vencer jogos saindo de 2 sets abaixo, me fazendo confiar mais no meu físico e na minha mentalidade." Monday now turns that belief into a grass-court match that will show whether his improved movement, serve, and return translate to Wimbledon.
