Joao Fonseca is currently preparing for the North American hard-court swing.
The Brazilian talent last competed at Wimbledon, reaching the third round.
He beat Roberto Bautista Agut and Jesper de Jong, before losing to former quarter-finalist Roman Safiullin.
Are Joao Fonseca’s fans good for tennis? 😬
Fonseca has now shifted his attention to North America; and he has decided to make an alteration to his schedule.
The youngster will skip the Washington Open – an ATP 500 event set to take place from July 27 to August 2.
Fonseca has now confirmed why he will miss the event.
Joao Fonseca will skip the Washington Open to spend more time in Brazil
“The plan is to play Montreal, Cincinnati, rest for a week and play the US Open,” Fonseca said in an interview with ESPN Brasil.
“I won’t play in Washington because I want to spend a little more time in Brazil.
“After New York I will go straight to the Asian tour. It will be a very long tour, perhaps the longest of the year.
“That’s why I’m going to stay this time in Rio to rest, train and focus on the things I need to improve and go with everything to this hard court tour.”
Fonseca has never competed in Washington before.
Last year, the Brazilian competed at the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open.
He has only 110 points to defend during this year’s North American campaign, giving him the opportunity to significantly boost his ranking before the Asian swing.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
Who is competing in Washington?
Defending champion Alex de Minaur is set to make his return to Washington DC.
The Australian saved multiple match points in last year’s final, before beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7, 6-1, 7-6.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Jodar, and Taylor Fritz are also scheduled to compete in the American capital.
Jack Draper, Ben Shelton, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Kei Nishikori have received wildcards for the tournament.
Entry list for the 2026 Washington Open
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Frances Tiafoe
- Rafael Jodar
- Taylor Fritz
- Jack Draper
- Ben Shelton
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Kei Nishikori
- Alex de Minaur
- Daniil Medvedev
- Tommy Paul
- Learner Tien
- Lorenzo Musetti
- Arthur Fils
- Jakub Mensik
- Ugo Humbert
- Arthur Rinderknech
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry
- Brandon Nakashima
- Alejandro Tabilo
- Matteo Arnaldi
- Zizou Bergs
- Adrian Mannarino
- Kamil Majchrzak
- Alex Michelsen
- Tallon Griekspoor
Draper, Shelton, and Tsitsipas are all looking to bounce back after enduring disappointing developments on the Tour.
Shelton has struggled for form since winning the Munich Open in April, suffering early exits in Hamburg, Paris, and London.
Draper’s injury woes have continued to rear their ugly head. After recovering from a knee injury, Draper was forced to miss Wimbledon due to the re-emergence of an arm issue.
Tsitsipas, who has slipped to world number 85, is seeking to locate some good form ahead of the event.
Tsitsipas is competing in Gstaad this week and has reached the second round after beating Ignacio Buse.
