Indian Wells
Alcaraz: ‘We’re going to see more Fonseca in the future’
Spaniard shares thoughts on Sinner-Fonseca encounter
March 12, 2026
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz was full of praise for Joao Fonseca at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
By ATP Staff
The tennis world had its eyes on Jannik Sinner’s clash with Joao Fonseca on Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open, seemingly the opening chapter of a budding rivalry. Even Carlos Alcaraz, the World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, was following the intriguing showdown, which Sinner won 7-6(6), 7-6(4).
Alcaraz, who was asked about the match after earning a quarter-final spot in California, was full of praise for the rising star Fonseca despite the 19-year-old’s defeat.
“Obviously when someone is going toe to toe with Jannik, that means he had to play great tennis and perform really, really well,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t see the full match, but I saw that Joao is playing great tennis. I’m really happy to see Joao playing these kinds of matches, at this kind of level.”
While Alcaraz holds a 10-6 lead against Sinner in their rivalry, the Spaniard is yet to have his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Fonseca. Like Alcaraz and Sinner, Fonseca is a former champion at the Next Gen ATP Finals, which the Brazilian won in 2024.
“I’m a player and a person who loves seeing the player growing. As a person, as a player, he’s really young, and for sure he’s going to learn from this experience,” Alcaraz said of Fonseca. “I’m just really happy to see where Joao is right now and for sure we’re going to see more of Joao in the future.”
Alcaraz continued his perfect season on Wednesday, defeating 13th seed Casper Ruud to extend his winning streak to 15 matches. Up next for the top seed is 2021 champion Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz fell to Norrie at the Rolex Paris Masters in November.
“I just really want to take the revenge,” Alcaraz said. “Really difficult one against Cam, I have great battles against him. Lefties are always tricky to play against. The way he can change the height of the ball, he has a really flat backhand and [heavy] top-spin forehand. You can be a little bit confused sometimes with how the ball is going to come to you.
“He’s a gladiator. He’s a real fighter, fighting for every ball, every game, every set.”
