“‘I think they go mad”: Joao Fonseca shares the secret behind his loud fanbase

Joao Fonseca is a known name in the world of men’s tennis. Many have already tipped the 18-year-old as the next big thing because of his powerful forehand. He has already produced some incredible performances on the court, including winning his first-ever ATP 250 title this year in Argentina.

One thing that has become the norm in Fonseca’s matches is the interest of supporters from his country. Fonseca, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has seen full houses at nearly every major competition where he has featured in his short career.

A notable aspect that many observers have noticed about the supporters sitting in the arena supporting Fonseca is how loud and charged they were, something that has not always been the case in tennis matches, where the crowd typically behaves differently. Fonseca recently spoke to Tennis.com, where he explained why his supporters reacted differently compared to those of other players. Fonseca believes that is down to how the Brazilian people support football back home.

“I think it comes a lot with soccer, “ he said. “When they see good players doing good things, I think they go mad for the matches and cheer a lot! I love their support. I love to represent my country, so it's super nice. Sometimes they don’t know how to manage themselves. But I know how that feels because I also went to some soccer matches! And at the same time, it's super nice how they go to everywhere I play."

Fonseca also went on to explain how he is feeling ahead of the upcoming Terra Wortmann Open, where he will face Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the round of 32 on Tuesday.

“I'm feeling great and a lot has changed from last year,” he smiled. “So I'm feeling confident and feeling much better than last year. I like playing on grass. And I’m thankful for Ralf (Weber, Tournament Director) for giving me this wildcard. It helps me a lot. So I need to thank him. I know how difficult it is. So I'm very happy to be back.”