Joao Fonseca has continued his stunning rise on the ATP Tour at the Miami Open, where his fine run was ended by Alex de Minaur.
Fonseca emulated Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open, where he beat Learner Tien and 19th seed Ugo Humbert.
But 10th seed De Minaur spoiled the party for Fonseca and his many fans, with the Australian beating the Brazilian in round three.
The teenager’s tournament notably wasn’t without controversy, with the Miami Open slammed for moving Fonseca’s match against Humbert.
It was supposed to follow Jack Draper’s meeting with Jakub Mensik on the Grandstand court, only to be switched to the Stadium court with very short notice.
Sam Querrey thinks South America could get a Masters event because of Joao Fonseca
Former professional Sam Querrey has now shared his take on the situation, as well as detailing the impact he thinks the 18-year-old is having on the ATP Tour.
“I feel for the people who were on Grandstand and had tickets,” Querrey said on the Nothing Major podcast.
“If you had a ticket to that court you were expecting him to play, that’s a little rough. I don’t know if they got to go over and watch him on Centre.
“But I honestly think it could have been for a safety issue. Sometimes on those outside courts there are so many people that are trying to get in the corners or try and climb up and watch him play that they might have made the call for the safety of people.
“That just goes to show how massive of a star he is right now. If he keeps on the trajectory he is on, we could see a Masters series in Brazil or South America.
“Sometimes one player like this can have so much of an influence that they can change how the tennis calendar works or change how sponsorship works or be able to influence a massive new tournament in South America.”
Stevie Johnson makes Joao Fonseca Grand Slam prediction
Fonseca was just aiming for his first ATP Masters 1000 success in Miami, after doing the same at Indian Wells earlier this month.
He was beaten by eventual champion Jack Draper in round two in the desert, with that event coming shortly after his stunning success in Argentina.
It may have been an ATP 250 tournament, but the 18-year-old certainly introduced himself to the men’s game with that Argentina Open title in February.
Another former professional in Stevie Johnson also issued his verdict on the teen sensation, saying: “I think he can definitely win Masters series for sure this year.
“I mean he has the ability and the game. I don’t know if winning a Slam in your first year on tour is something that is super feasible even with how good he is.
“I just think it has to be some type of learning curve emotionally, mentally and physically to play two weeks, three out of five, seven matches.
“I just don’t know if he is going to have that box ticked on his repertoire just yet this year. I think he can make runs. I just don’t know if he can win one this year.
“But I would say in the next couple of years for sure, once he gets some more experience in Slams, playing three out of five, playing in a quarter or semi, getting those reps in will be huge for him because I just think the other guys will have the experience in those matches at the moment.
“They might not have the tennis he does at the moment but they might have that edge when it comes later in the second week of a Slam.”
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