Joao Fonseca is one of the brightest sparks in tennis, but two of his recent decisions could come back to haunt him.
Fonseca made Laver Cup history by defeating Flavio Cobolli and becoming the youngest man to pick up a victory in the tournament.
The Brazilian teenager is widely considered one of tennis’ next top stars, and his breakthrough year in 2025 has more than backed it up.
Fonseca has cracked the top 50 thanks to back-to-back third-round appearances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Fonseca has proved he can swing with the best players in the world, which makes his decision to skip the Asian leg even more unfathomable.
Joao Fonseca’s decision to skip the Asian leg could be a mistake
Fonseca has decided to skip the Asian leg of the ATP Tour, which seems a strange decision for the teenager.
The star has beaten the likes of Andrey Rublev, Cobolli, and Francisco Cerúndolo in 2025, proving he is more than ready to step up to ATP 1000 events.
The Brazilian will instead play two 250 events and a 500 event in Europe before the season ends, as well as the Paris Masters in October.
While this will give Fonseca the chance to pick up some wins, the tour level will not be the same as what fans know he can compete with.
The Shanghai Masters has seen some significant withdrawals in recent weeks, including Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov, and Arthur Fils.
There was every chance Fonseca could have had a momentum-building deep run at the penultimate ATP 1000 event of the year.
Joao Fonseca’s decision to play an exhibition is also questionable
Fonseca’s season will not end with his stint on the European indoor swing either as he’s opted to play Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match in Miami.
While the first-time match Fonseca vs Alcaraz is exciting, it makes the decision to skip Shanghai even more eyebrow-raising.
Fonseca is clearly not dealing with fitness or fatigue issues, so he should be available to play the Asian event.
The Brazilian is currently working a schedule akin to Novak Djokovic, despite being two decades younger than the Serbian.
