Joaooooo

Fonseca is eagerly awaited for his return! First because we’re talking about Fonseca, but also because he’s the title holder!!

We know the Golden Swing means a huge amount to Fonseca, I’m even convinced he took that many precautions at the start of the season so he wouldn’t relapse physically and have to skip this stretch. He’s coming in with only one match in 2026 but apparently he’s at 100% physically. Feeling ready and actually being ready are two different things though, because honestly his match against Spizzirri was pretty disastrous. Let’s say that by default he’s not an incredible guy physically over the long run, but this time he really looked far from top level. Now you have to add the heat, the heavy clay and a good opponent; I wouldn’t be surprised to see him crack first if it goes long.

Now, he’s 10 times more talented than Tabilo, he can even beat him without being fully back to his best I’d say, his ball-striking quality is so good it’s magic when everything clicks. With strong support from the crowd pushing him to dig deep, he’ll be hard to beat. It’s a crappy draw for Tabilo and I’m a bit disappointed because I was planning to back the Chilean against quite a few players after his R1. He saved two set points but honestly everything looked good, he served particularly well and he finally accepted to extend the rallies, which shows he feels good physically. I saw a Chilean at his very best, and when he plays like that he’s dangerous for a lot of players, including Fonseca. He’s already beaten him on European clay in 2024, Joao has turned into a monster since then but as I said he’s just coming back, so maybe it’s still doable...