Carlos Alcaraz says he isn’t concerned about Joao Fonseca despite showing against Jannik Sinner

Joao Fonseca lost to Jannik Sinner, 6-7, 6-7, in the fourth round of Indian Wells.

Fonseca came close to pulling off a surprise result against Sinner, and even in defeat, he managed to show why so many people are excited about his potential.

Alcaraz may not be worried just yet, but Fonseca continues to draw comparisons with some of the game’s best young players. Since breaking through last year, he’s been tipped by many as the most likely candidate to disrupt the hold Sinner and Alcaraz have on men’s tennis.

After his recent match, though, Alcaraz downplayed any concerns about Fonseca’s development.

Alcaraz responds to questions about Joao Fonseca’s rise

After beating Casper Ruud in the fourth round, Alcaraz was asked if he had any concerns about Fonseca’s progress. The world number two gave a direct answer.

“No, no,” said Alcaraz. “Why would I be worried?”

He also gave his thoughts on Fonseca’s recent performance against Sinner.

“Yeah, I saw a little bit, I couldn’t see the full match, but I saw that Joao is playing great tennis”, Alcaraz said.

“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.”

The Spaniard continued: “So really happy to see Joao growing up and playing at this kind of level. As a person and as a player, he’s still young, and this experience will help him develop even more.”

“But yeah, just really happy to see where Joao is right now. We’re going to see more of him in the future.”

The pair haven’t met on tour yet but did play an exhibition in Miami last December. Alcaraz won that match tiebreak 7-5, 2-6, 10-8.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Next Opponent in Indian Wells

Alcaraz will face off against Cameron Norrie, the current British number two. The Spaniard has had his difficulties with Norrie before, having lost their most recent clash at the Paris Masters.

Over their last six meetings, the head-to-head stands at 3-3, with Norrie proving a consistent challenge for the world number one.

However, Alcaraz did win their only previous encounter in California, claiming a straight-sets victory 6-4, 6-3 back in 2022. If he can replicate that result this time around, he would move on to play either Jack Draper or Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.

Both opponents bring their own history. Draper defeated Alcaraz in last year’s semifinals before going on to win the title. Meanwhile, Alcaraz has beaten Medvedev twice in Indian Wells finals (2023 and 2024).

This year’s path is still unfolding for Alcaraz but every match promises plenty of drama. His quarterfinal against Norrie is set for Thursday, March 12th.

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