What Jannik Sinner told Joao Fonseca back in 2023 after practicing with him for the first time in his entire career

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Joao Fonseca was catching the eye of top players like Jannik Sinner even before winning his first match on the ATP Tour.

Fonseca has been congratulated by Carlos Alcaraz after winning his first ATP title at the Argentina Open.

The Brazilian is currently enjoying his rise up the rankings, while world number one Sinner is beginning his ban from tennis after settling his case with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

This ban has received a huge reaction from across the tennis world, with Nick Kyrgios continually outspoken against Sinner.

While others have not been so personal against the Italian, Jessica Pegula has also been critical of Sinner’s case and how it has been handled.

Sinner has never played Fonseca before and will now not be able to until at least the Italian Open in May, but they have shared the court in a practice session.

What Jannik Sinner told Joao Fonseca after practicing at the 2023 ATP Finals

Sinner reached the final of the ATP Finals for the first time in 2023, losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.

Although not a competitor at the tournament, Fonseca did play a part in Sinner’s run to the final after practicing with him.

At the time Fonseca was the US Open boys champion, and when looking back on that practice the Brazilian explained what his interaction with Sinner was like.

This included Sinner questioning the decision to play college tennis, to which Fonseca initially thought he was joking.

“It was at the Nitto ATP Finals last year. I was a hitting partner and we hit on the first or second day,” Fonseca told the ATP Tour. “He is a really nice guy.

“Since the beginning I was looking to go to university. I was committed to [the University of] Virginia and he said to me, ‘Are you going to university?’ He said, ‘You are too good for this, go to [the] pros’.

“So that was a nice thing. I thought this guy was kidding me and playing a joke. That was the first time I had practised with him and he was really nice, as were his coaches.”

Although Fonseca appeared surprised by the comments at the time, just months later he did switch his plans and committed to professional tennis.

A year later Sinner won the ATP Finals after going one better than 2023 by beating Taylor Fritz in the final.

While Fonseca won the ATP Next Gen Finals, the same tournament that Sinner won five years prior.

Could Joao Fonseca qualify for the ATP Finals in 2025?

Fonseca is quickly rising through the ranks following his first Grand Slam main draw win and his maiden ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires.

After beating Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, Fonseca was predicted to reach the ATP Finals by some.

Following his victory at the Argentina Open, Fonseca has closed the gap on the top eight in the race to Turin and currently sits in 13th, 128 points behind eighth placed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Fonseca will look to continue his impressive start to the season at his home tournament in Rio de Janeiro, before heading to California for Indian Wells.