Joao Fonseca is in no rush to skip steps even with "crazy" opportunity of Halle wild card

HALLE, Germany—Twelve months ago, Joao Fonseca was preparing for a pair of junior grass-court tournaments at Roehampton and Wimbledon.

On Tuesday, the 17-year-old will make his tour-level debut on grass after an unexpected change of plans brought him to northwest Germany.

Last Thursday, Fonseca received word from his coach Guilherme Teixeira that the Terra Wortmann Open had extended its final main-draw wild card to the budding talent. The Brazilian was originally slated to play a third consecutive British ATP Challenger event in Ilkley, before finding out he would instead head to a tournament deeply connected with his idol Roger Federer.

“It was a crazy opportunity. This is my second ATP 500, so it's very special for me to play in this specific tournament where Roger won 10 times,” Fonseca tells TENNIS.com. “It's really nice for me to be in this environment with all these amazing players.”

Fonseca’s first 500-level event came on home soil in February at the Rio Open, where he notably defeated Arthur Fils and Cristian Garin on his way to the quarterfinals. He has since added a maiden ATP 1000 match win in Madrid and two ATP 250 victories in Bucharest—and this week, achieved a career-high ranking of No. 217.

“I created really good matches in those tournaments, I'd say. There is where I want to be, in those kinds of tournaments,” he says. “I don't need to rush. If I jump from 200 to 100, it will be very nice, but it's step by step. Just stay humble, keep the routine.”

Halle fosters a relaxed environment with unparalleled convenience, for competitors can walk directly from the player hotel to the courts, and vice versa.

“I’ve never had been in a place like this, where after practice, you can just go take a shower in your room,” describes the teen.

I don't need to rush. If I jump from 200 to 100, it will be very nice, but it's step by step. Just stay humble, keep the routine. Joao Fonseca

As he plays more premium events, Fonseca naturally benefits from opportunities to absorb how established names approach their craft. On Sunday, he trained with two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Twenty-four hours later, he traded strokes with Wimbledon quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks.

“Two guys that serve a lot, so it's really nice to play with those kind of players,” Fonseca says. “You can see the little things, what they eat, what's their routine, what they do for warmup, gym, their preparation. Those little things help you to learn a lot and have a good evolution.”

At the two Challenger-level events he played prior to arriving in Germany, Fonseca went 2-2, with both defeats coming in deciding sets. He’ll take on qualifier James Duckworth Tuesday, and if our conversation is anything to go by, the former junior No. 1 will continue embracing the education this year’s grass-court swing is providing to his development.

“Your service games, you need to make them more important because it's difficult to break your opponent,” finds Fonseca. “My game is very aggressive. Grass is good, because you need to go to the ball, go to the net. You can't hesitate very much.”