One of the hardest things for young players to do during their formative years on tour is to repeat a great performance. That’s why all eyes were on Joao Fonseca on Tuesday in Paris, as the 19-year-old took to the court just two days after making history in Basel, becoming the first man from his country to win an ATP 500 title and the youngest Swiss Indoors Basel champion in 36 years.
Fonseca passed the test.
He rallied from a set down to beat Denis Shapovalov for the second time in as many weeks, and booked his place in the second round with a 5-7 6-4 6-3 triumph.
Fonseca, making his Paris Masters debut, extends his winning streak to five and sets up a second round clash with 2018 Paris champion Karen Khachanov.
“It was a great experience today,” Fonseca said of his 26th win of the season. “After I won a tournament and changed my mindset for another tournament, another big tournament where I had to play my best because the guy I played is a top-25 player.”
Credit Fonseca, who took a long break after the Laver Cup after starting to feel weak, and his team for making smart decisions with the calendar. It’s not easy to turn down playing opportunities and new experiences when you’re a teenager, but Fonseca took the time to refresh mentally and work on his fitness during the holidays and it shows in his performances on tough European pitches.
“This year was my first year playing in major tournaments,” Fonseca told reporters. “So one of the things that me and my team tried to focus a lot on was which weeks we’re going to play, which weeks we’re not going to play, focusing more on the physicality and the mentality.”
Now that the Rio native has seen how beneficial taking a mid-season break can be, he may end up doing it even more.
