BUENOS AIRES – Roger Federer was right, he is right: Joao Fonseca may have the sky as his limit, as the Swiss said, but that will only come when the Brazilian finds balance in his game and in his matches. He didn’t find it on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, and so he said goodbye after being eliminated in his debut at the Argentina Open, where he was defending his title.
Fonseca lost 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in a battle that grew in excitement in the final stretch, but in which he showed too many inconsistencies. A couple of them sent him back early to his city, Rio de Janeiro, where next week he is due to play the Rio Open, the tournament that saw him fall in his debut in 2025 after arriving with the Buenos Aires championship trophy.
Many Brazilians came to the central stadium of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, a place steeped in history and tradition in the Argentine capital, nestled in the heart of the Bosques de Palermo. They arrived in a festive mood, wearing football shirts and shouting ‘Joao, Joao!’ with the confidence of those who expect great things.
But Fonseca is 19 years old and, without a doubt, he is feeling the pressure of knowing he is destined to be good, really good at tennis. Often that pressure works in his favour, because he is a brave and spirited player, but other times that pressure is simply too much for him.
Fonseca lost the first set today because he didn’t seem to be fully there at the start of the match, and Tabilo took advantage of that to take a 3-0 lead and then close out the set 6-3.
The 6-3 score in the second set saw the Brazilian more stable and focused, but it all led to a third set of emotions and ups and downs.
Tabilo, ranked 71st in the world and winner of three titles on the ATP tour, is not one of the tennis elite, but he is a very good player and a left-hander, something that particularly unsettled Fonseca. The Chilean launched his fast cross-court drive again and again at the Brazilian’s backhand, who lacked confidence with that shot and tried one forehand after another. Most of them went in, but some important ones went beyond the limits at key points.
Fonseca’s serve saved him in several situations, as did his audacity and courage in coming to the net, as well as several backhand drops. But at too many important moments, the Brazilian failed, something he himself admitted after the match.
‘I tried to put more intensity, more motivation, more shouting, calling out to the fans, but today it wasn’t enough. Today I lacked conviction, I lacked confidence,’ admitted the Brazilian, who said he would be a ‘liar’ if he didn’t acknowledge that he feels the pressure and expectations surrounding him and that these work against him.
Tabilo, nine years older than Fonseca, thus achieved his second victory in two matches over the Brazilian, ranked 33rd.
‘We’re going to work hard and we’re going to come out on top. I’m training well, I’m confident that it’s going to be a good year, with my head held high, that everything will turn out well in Rio, where we have to perform well.’
