Alexander Blockx finally had his big breakthrough at the 2026 Madrid Open.
The 21-year-old, who was the runner-up at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals, had struggled to make a deep run at big events up until Madrid.
Blockx bowed out in the first round of the Australian Open and failed to qualify for Indian Wells or Miami before reaching round three in Monte-Carlo.
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But in the Spanish capital, the Belgian beat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud en route to the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, where he ultimately lost to Alexander Zverev.
As it stands, the era in which Blockx has emerged is looking fairly strong, with young stars like Rafael Jodar also announcing themselves to the tour on the biggest stages.
Alexander Blockx compares his level with Joao Fonseca
The man from that era who has been tipped for greatness for some time is Joao Fonseca, whom Blockx has never faced before on the tour.
Asked in an interview with Clay how excited he is for the rivalry with Fonseca, Blockx said: “I don’t know if there will be a rivalry.
“I hope someday there will. He’s a bit further than me right now. I hope to catch up to him someday.
“At the moment he’s still pretty far away, he has won two titles, his level is really high. I think I need to work on some things to try and keep up to him.
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
“But I feel like step by step I’m getting there, and hopefully we could meet sometimes in the future.
“He’s getting a lot of pressure, yes, but I think he’s handling it very well. He’s very young, but mentally he’s really mature for his age.
“That’s the reason why he can perform so well. He’s improving every time we see him back, and he’s a really exciting player to watch, especially for me.”
Alexander Blockx says the new generation is very strong
As well as Blockx, players around his age, such as Arthur Fils and Jakub Mensik are showing very promising signs.
“I think the generation I’m part of is a very strong one,” said Blockx, who is currently ranked 36th in the world.
“We have some really good players. I don’t see myself as the biggest star, I would say. I’m just enjoying the tournaments, the matches I play.
“There are some matches I definitely don’t enjoy, but there are always things to learn from, especially under tough conditions.”
Blockx is currently playing at the Italian Open, where he has bagged two wins so far to reach the third round, and will take on his Madrid conqueror Zverev next.
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