Joao Fonseca and Carlos Alcaraz have been practising over the weekend, hitting together as the Wimbledon opening day draws closer.
Whilst the Spaniard is preparing to defend his crown for a third straight year, the former is instead gearing up to play in his first-ever event at the All-England Club.
With that in mind, his inexperience on the grass is evident, and it will surely take some time to get used to.
But, having seen Fonseca’s forehand up close at Roland Garros, there are some shots that simply transcend surfaces.
Carlos Alcaraz, who certainly knows a thing or two about succeeding on grass, has sought to assess the Brazilian’s level after their practice session.
Carlos Alcaraz praises Joao Fonseca after practising with him at Wimbledon
Speaking at his pre-tournament Wimbledon press conference, the 22-year-old admitted he was ‘excited’ when the opportunity to practice with such a young up-and-coming star arose.
Alcaraz went on to say: ‘I was excited about hitting with him since, I mean, the last time that I hit with him, it was in Masters in 2023.
‘So it was kind of a really, really long time ago. And so I was excited to play with him when he came onto the ATP. And yeah, I’m gonna say he’s quite new you know, on grass, I’ve been talking with him the day.
‘He’s not really an experienced player on grass, but, you know, his style, he loves to play aggressive, to hit big forehands, go to the net. So I’m pretty sure he’s gonna get the level on grass really really soon.
‘Right now, yeah, a few things that he has to learn obviously because he’s so young and he just is starting to play the new tournament, but you know, his level is, pretty high so far.’
The score of Alcaraz’s practice set with Fonseca was revealed just yesterday too.
Could Joao Fonseca be a threat at Wimbledon this year?
Realistically, with a forehand as famed as Joao Fonseca’s, he is a threat no matter the surface.
He proved that at the French Open earlier this month, and even at the Australian Open in January, where he became the first teenager since Mario Ančić against Roger Federer in Wimbledon 2002 to beat a top 10 player in the first round of a Grand Slam, knocking out Andrey Rublev.
But with powerful groundstrokes that belie his youth, grass arguably could end up being one of his more favoured surfaces once he gets a few seasons under his belt.
It is that inexperience that could make this year’s Wimbledon a little too early to predict big things from him, but Fonseca will likely not leave without at least making some mark.
He faces Brit Jacob Fearnley in the first round, in a tricky contest against two impressive players.
There lies a key opportunity to impress with a statement victory over a hometown hero.
The title might be out of reach for Fonseca at the moment, but there’s a quiet expectation that in the coming years he will start challenging for plenty of elite honours.
