"It's an injury that never fully disappears": Concern for Joao Fonseca as back injury rears head again in Buenos Aires

Joao Fonseca won the ATP 250 at the Argentina Open last year but he returned to the city and was left heartbroken in a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 loss to Alejandro Tabilo. It marked his third consecutive loss with major concerns about his physical health.

A lower back injury affected Fonseca at the end of last season and there were signs this remained an issue. He withdrew from Brisbane and Adelaide and lost to Eliot Spizzirri, a rising star but not on Fonseca's status yet in Australia.

He said today somewhat concerningly that his body wasn't moving the way he wanted to and that his body wasn't helping him do what he needed to as he fell at the Argentina Open. “If I say no, I’d be lying, so yes, I certainly felt a bit more pressure,” the 2025 champion said according to Punto De Break.

“I felt tense from the beginning of the match. I tried to bring intensity, motivation, eagerness, even sought support from the crowd, but it wasn’t my day. There was a lack of conviction and confidence…”

“I tried everything to motivate myself,” he added. “I was p**** off with my legs, which weren’t moving the way they needed to. My body wasn’t helping me hit the good shots I wanted.”

He has previously alluded to the issue and said he wasn't sure if he'd be 100% ever again and that he feels pain some days more than others.

“I was born with a back problem and suffered a stress fracture five years ago,” he told Brazilian press last month. “Some days I feel more pain than others. It’s an injury that never fully disappears, but one I have to learn to manage day to day.

“Over the last few days, I’ve felt like I was improving a bit, but it’s hard to say if I’ll be at 100 percent.”

But while he said this, his team did say it would be sorted and that it was suffered as a teenager and they are managing the injury as a result. “João has a straightened spine and suffered a stress fracture five years ago, when he was still a juvenile. Thus, the lower back is the most sensitive area of his body and, because he is a high-performance athlete, it requires constant care,” says a statement as per Globo Sports.

“Soon, João will be back to the tournaments, 100 percent recovered. The mentality of the team is always to preserve the athlete’s health, aiming for a long-term career.”

As a result, Fonseca has tempered his own expectations on his career amid chatter that he will be the new Gustavo Kuerten or Carlos Alcaraz of the modern day and rival him and Jannik SInner.

“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. “What I can do on my part is work really hard on my mentality and my physique.”