"He’s going to be a top, top player very soon": Jack Draper praises 'amazing talent' Joao Fonseca

Britain’s Jack Draper believes that Brazil’s Joao Fonseca is an ‘amazing talent’ as the two met at the Indian Wells. The 23-year-old defeated the young tennis sensation in straight sets in the second round with a score of 6-4, 6-0.

Draper talked to Sky Sports after the match and praised Fonseca, who, according to him, is an ‘amazing talent’. The 2024 US Open semifinalist believes that the only thing the 18-year-old is lacking is a lack of experience, and once he plays continuously at the highest level for a long time, he will be a ‘top, top player’ very soon.

"I think it's amazing for the tour and amazing for tennis that we’ve got a really, really young superstar coming, especially from Brazil with such a big fanbase," he said. "It seems like every tournament’s he’s going to, there’s so many fans in the stadium here today. To be a part of that and to play against him, see what he’s all about is really special for myself. And I saw it, he’s such an amazing talent, hits the ball so hard and he’s only going to improve. It’s just more experience at this level and he’s going to be a top, top player very soon."

Draper came into the contest after having an impressive outing in the Qatar Open, where he finished as the runner-up after losing to Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the final with a score of 7-5, 5-7, 6-1, also talked about his own game as well where he stated that he feels that his service has improved compared to how it was at the early stages of the 2025 season.

"I kind of struggled last year a lot on my serve here," he said. "The conditions are very different, I think the balls are a bit different so it’s hard sometimes for the balls to come down, it flies a lot and it’s something, like I said, I struggled with last year. This year I’ve been trying to get better. I definitely served better today but there’s still a lot of room for improvement so I’m glad I came through today because then I can go and work hard on that. So I would say that’s the only side of my game I wasn’t too happy with today was my serve. It’s just getting my rhythm right."

Draper is now set to face America’s Jenson Brooksby in the round of 32. The 24-year-old cemented his place in the third round after securing a surprising win against Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2.