Joao Fonseca will be hoping the Brazilian fans in Rio de Janeiro can help spark his 2026 campaign into life.
The Brazilian, considered one of the best young talents on the ATP Tour, has struggled to get out of first gear at the start of 2026.
After withdrawing from the Brisbane International due to a lower back injury, the 19-year-old was upset in the Australian Open first round.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
He then travelled to the Buenos Aires Open, where he failed to defend his title: losing his opening match to Alejandro Tabilo.
Now Fonseca has arrived in Brazil, and he has called for a major change at the Rio Open ahead of his first match on Monday.
Joao Fonseca calls for surface change at the Rio Open
Speaking to reporters in Rio, Fonseca expressed a desire to see the Rio Open change their clay-court surface, in order to attract bigger names to the event.
The tournament, played on clay, is an outlier within the ‘Golden Swing’ of the tennis calendar. In this section of the calendar, the biggest ATP events – such as the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships – are played on hard courts.
“Good afternoon, man. I really think the tournament is exceptional,” Fonseca told reporters, as per Surto Olimpico. “It was where I played most of my ATP tournaments in the past.
“I see that the Rio Open really has something special: they treat the players differently, they care.
I’ve talked to many players, and many like it, they’d like to visit Brazil, but it’s tough, right? Because the tour right now is dominated by fast courts.
I think that, going forward, if the tournament has the chance to switch surfaces, it would be very beneficial.
Overall, the Rio Open has potential, both in organisation and in the team that works here, to become an even bigger tournament in the future. But I believe the surface change is essential for growth.”
Since the tournament was founded in 2014, the Rio Open has been played on outdoor clay courts at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
If you were in charge of tennis, what is the first rule you would change?
Fonseca will face a qualifier or lucky loser in the first round. If he wins that contest, he will play Ignacio Buse or another qualifier or lucky loser in the second round.
Fonseca’s biggest challengers in Rio will be Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi – the top two seeds. Cerundolo and Darderi are also set to contest the Buenos Aires Open final on Sunday.
Who won the first Rio Open?
In 2014, Rafael Nadal arrived in Rio as the top seed and favourite to win the title.
The Spaniard, a winner of 22 Grand Slams, defeated Daniel Gimeno Traver, Albert Montanes and Joao Sousa on his way to the semi-finals.
There, he defeated Pablo Andujar 2-6, 6-3, 7-6; setting up a clash against Ukrainian player Alexandr Dolgopolov in the championship match.
Nadal proved too strong for Dolgopolov, winning the contest 6-3, 7-6.
