Carlos Alcaraz has stated he is not concerned by the emergence of Joao Fonseca and other young ATP players. The world No 1 praised the 19-year-old Brazilian after his competitive loss to Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells. Alcaraz and Sinner continue to dominate, having won the last nine Grand Slam titles between them.
Carlos Alcaraz, the world No 1, addressed questions about the rising talents on the ATP Tour during his press conference at the Indian Wells Open on Wednesday. He dismissed any sense of worry regarding Joao Fonseca, a 19-year-old Brazilian who impressed in a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) defeat to No 2 Jannik Sinner in the fourth round.
Alcaraz and Sinner have established themselves as the leading figures in men's tennis, combining to secure the last nine Grand Slam titles. At 38, Novak Djokovic remains their closest challenger, but attention is turning to the next generation, including Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, and Arthur Fils, who have made notable breakthroughs recently.
When asked if he was worried about players like Fonseca, Alcaraz replied: “No, no. Why would I be worried about? No, no, no, I know it. But I think…” He elaborated on Fonseca's performance against Sinner, saying: “Yeah, I saw a little bit. I couldn’t see the full match, but I saw that Joao is playing great tennis.”
Alcaraz added: “Obviously when someone is going toe to toe with Jannik 7-6, 7-6, that means he had to play great tennis and perform really, really well. So really happy to see Joao, you know, growing up and see him, you know, playing these kind of matches, this kind of level. I’m, you know, 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 gonna learn from this experience. But, yeah, just really happy to see where Joao is right now, and for sure, we’re gonna see more of Joao in the future.”
The tournament progresses with Alcaraz, undefeated in 2026 and the defending champion from 2023 and 2024, set to face 27th seed Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals. Sinner, seeking his first Indian Wells title, will play 25th seed Learner Tien. The pair are projected to meet in the final.
