Joao Fonseca has felt the full force of both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in recent weeks.
Fonseca was beaten by Sinner in the last 16 of Indian Wells earlier this month, before losing to Alcaraz in the Miami Open second round.
ATP rising star Fonseca is trying to catch Sinner and Alcaraz, but he has now been called out for his recent comments about the pair, particularly the Italian.
That is despite Sinner agreeing with the assessment from Fonseca, which read: “I think Alcaraz has more arsenal than Sinner.
“Sinner is more like a robot that just kills the ball and does everything perfect. Carlos, he can do everything. He can do with topspin, can fire the ball, he has good movement.
“Goes to the net. He has everything. It’s more difficult to understand the game. He breaks a lot your rhythm.”
Which Grand Slam title would you like to see Joao Fonseca win?
Joao Fonseca’s “robotic” Jannik Sinner comments called out as wrong
Tennis coach and commentator Mark Petchey has now shared his verdict, saying on The Big T Podcast: “I think you have to listen to Carlos and Jannik and they both responded to it and thought it was a relatively fair assessment.
“But I do think that we and everyone needs to be careful. When you call someone like Jannik robotic, it kind of sets up this image in your mind that he is literally out there just [pinging shots back].
“There is a lot more to Jannik’s game than being robotic. He is relentless in his pursuit of excellence.
“He serves and volleys, he hits quite a few drop shots now compared to what he used to. The skill level to be able to redirect off a line ball, back off the line, with the accuracy that he does.
“I think that we need to find a better way of conveying the relentlessness and consistency. I understand how it gets woven into a robotic kind of narrative but it isn’t robotic.
“It is excellence on a tennis court and the way he moves is the furthest thing I have ever seen from robotic.
“The way that he slides and bounces back into the court is incredibly dynamic, it’s amazing athleticism out there off both sides, and I think from my personal point of view that when Joao says he’s robotic, I would rather say he is relentless with his depth and relentless in not giving me a free point.
“I think we can all see Carlos’s artistry but I do think we need to be careful that we don’t get dragged down into that narrative with Jannik’s game.”
Who is the better hard court player – Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?
Is Joao Fonseca a genuine threat to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?
Fonseca definitely held his own against both Sinner and Alcaraz, in what were his first-ever meetings with the two leading ATP players.
He was beaten 6-7(6-8), 6-7(4-7) by the former, and lost 4-6, 4-6 to the latter.
And while he certainly isn’t the only player trying to challenge the pair, Fonseca is arguably among the leading candidates.
Aged just 19, he is a two-time ATP champion, with the world number 39 rapidly approaching 50 career wins.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2025 | 2 | Basel (Indoor/Hard) Buenos Aires (Outdoor/Clay) |
He’s also claimed impressive victories over the likes of Andrey Rublev and Tommy Paul, but getting past Sinner and Alcaraz is another level altogether.
Patience is required with the Brazilian teenager, who will also need an injury-free run if he is to pose a genuine threat to the top two players.
Worryingly, he’s already had his injury problems in his relatively brief career so far, with the health of Alcaraz and Sinner rarely called into question.
Age is perhaps most in Fonseca’s favour in the pursuit, but fellow youngsters such as Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien could also mount real challenges in the near future.’
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