Joao Fonseca has lost his third consecutive match after losing his only match at the Argentina Open.
Fonseca won the Argentina Open last year, which was his maiden ATP title victory in a breakout season for the Brazilian.
As a result of his breakthrough year, Fonseca has been predicted to win Grand Slam titles and be a potential challenger to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
However, it has been a tough start to the 2026 season for Fonseca, who struggled with a back injury prior to the Australian Open, where he lost in the first round.
Fonseca was looking to return to winning ways in Buenos Aires, but his title defence did not go to plan.
Joao Fonseca suggests what he thinks about comparisons to Carlos Alcaraz
Fonseca received a bye to the second round as the third seed at this year’s Argentina Open, where he would face a tricky opener against former top 20 player Alejandro Tabilo, who has wins over Novak Djokovic.
Despite forcing a deciding set against Tabilo, Fonseca was ultimately beaten 6-3 3-6 7-5.
After being knocked out of the tournament, Fonseca was asked about the pressure he faces of being the next big thing on the ATP Tour.
Fonseca has previously dismissed comparisons to Gustavo Kuerten, and he did so again as well as distancing himself from Alcaraz.
“They say ‘Joao is going to be the next Guga, the next Alcaraz’, I’m writing my own story and doing everything at my own pace,” Fonseca said in his press conference. “What I can do on my part is work really hard on my mentality and my physique.”
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
Joao Fonseca reveals the positive he is taking from his latest defeat
Fonseca has now lost three consecutive matches, with his last match victory coming at the Paris Masters in October last year.
While this is disappointing for the 19-year-old, Fonseca is taking some positives from his latest defeat.
Fonseca believes he needs to make improvements to both his serve and return, which he thinks is a positive for him going forward.
“Working a lot technically on the serve, return, which is very important in this return.” said Fonseca. “The serve is essential for any surface. Physically, we have to improve. The good thing is that we have to improve many things.”
Which Grand Slam title would you like to see Joao Fonseca win?
Fonseca will hope to make these improvements ahead of his next tournament at the Rio Open.
While he is not coming into his home tournament in much form, Fonseca does not face any pressure in terms of defending ranking points as he lost in the first round last year.
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