Joao Fonseca is one of the biggest young prospects on the ATP Tour right now.
Fonseca won his first ATP title earlier this year, with the 18-year-old claiming victory at the Argentina Open.
The Brazilian teenager has received high praise from many people including Venus Williams, who waxed lyrical about Fonseca during Roland Garros this year.
Fonseca is seen as a future Grand Slam champion, but one of his friends on the ATP Tour has now called for people to ‘leave him alone’.
Ignacio Buse tells people to leave Joao Fonseca alone
At his most recent tournament, Fonseca lost in the third round of Wimbledon to Chilean Nicolas Jarry.
There was some criticism for the world number 47 after this loss, with some suggesting that Fonseca was not living up to his hype.
In an interview with Clay Magazine, Peruvian tennis player and world number 133 Ignacio Buse, who is friends with Fonseca, has requested people to stop putting pressure on him.
Buse also suggested that Fonseca will put himself among the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in time.
“Yes! He’s two years younger than me,” Buse said about Fonseca. “I only came across him in my last year as a junior. He was incredible — won the US Open, finished as world number one.
“The Garoto (boy) is a great kid. I hope he stays that way — he’s very humble. His team works really well, they’re all humble people.
“I think people need to leave him alone, develop in peace, because as soon as he gets a good result, they start piling on pressure. The kid plays incredibly well. And I believe he’ll be up there among the best, but like everyone, he’ll have to go through his own process.”
Buse went on to reveal that he had actually been invited to train with Fonseca during the off-season, but was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
However, the young Peruvian did appear excited about the future of South American tennis.
“Yeah, I actually do. I get along really well with him, fortunately,” continued Buse. “In fact, they invited me to do preseason training with him this year, but my schedule made it complicated. But yes, it’s exciting. There are good projects in South America.”
Former Grand Slam singles champions from South America
There is a lot of pressure on Fonseca to make history for both Brazil and the entire South American region.
The last time that a South American player won a Grand Slam title was when the now retired Juan Martin del Potro won the 2009 US Open.
You have to go even further back to find the most recent Brazilian Grand Slam champion, with Gustavo Kuerten winning his third Roland Garros title in 2001.
Fonseca previously admitted he does not like being compared to Kuerten, but those comparisons are only likely to continue the more he rises up the rankings.
| South American Player | Country | Grand Slam(s) they won |
| Maria Bueno | Brazil | 7 – Wimbledon (1959, 1960 & 1964) and the US Open (1959, 1963, 1964 & 1966) |
| Guillermo Vilas | Argentina | 4 – Roland Garros (1977), US Open (1977) and the Australian Open (1978 & 1979) |
| Gustavo Kuerten | Brazil | 3 – Roland Garros (1997, 2000 & 2001) |
| Juan Martin del Potro | Argentina | 1 – US Open (2009) |
| Gaston Gaudio | Argentina | 1 – Roland Garros (2004) |
| Gabriela Sabatini | Argentina | 1 – US Open (1990) |
| Andres Gomez | Ecuador | 1 – Roland Garros (1990) |
| Anita Lizana | Chile | 1 – US Open (1937) |
The most successful player in Grand Slam history is also Brazilian, with Maria Bueno winning seven major titles in her career.
Argentine Francisco Cerundolo (No.19) is currently the highest ranked South American player on the ATP Tour, while Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (No.21) holds that honour on the WTA Tour.
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