Nick Kyrgios has resurfaced to offer his opinion on the current state of tennis, just days after revealing the setback that will keep him out of Wimbledon.
Having opted out of the entire clay-court season, it really felt like the 30-year-old might have a chance of being fit enough for grass, his favoured surface.
After all, he did manage to play in a handful of tournaments at the back end of 2024 and the start of 2025, despite admitting his persisting discomfort.
It’s such a shame that, after such a groundbreaking 2022, Nick Kyrgios has just not been able to reap the rewards of such form.
However, despite his absence from playing, he remains a highly relevant figure with bold opinions on the sport.
Nick Kyrgios makes prediction about Joao Fonseca’s future
And, speaking on a recent Instagram Live, he used this platform to share those views.
Kyrgios predicted if Jack Draper would win a Grand Slam, as well as rating Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic’s performances after last night’s French Open clash.
However, his attention then turned to the future of tennis, honing in on Joao Fonseca in particular given he had a story to tell about the promising Brazilian.
He stated: ‘Fonseca is an anomaly. My coach James Frawly has been huge on Fonseca and not until… let me tell you a story.
‘He was here for the Canberra Challenger. Five minutes away, my hometown, they had the challenger. I was training before Brisbane or something. And Fonseca just won, I think he beat Fearnley in the semi-finals.
‘He was about to play a final of a challenger the next day. You think any other player would stretch, warm down. Fonseca goes into the indoors next to me and I’m already 30 minutes in and Fonseca proceeds to practice for another hour and a half, hitting serves and forehands. Ball feeding.
‘I was like okay this guy at this age is winning challengers, he is beating players like Hurkacz at Slams. Fonseca is going to be an absolute monster. Give him time to fill out. He is a kid, by the way. He is 18 or 19. He is a genuine kid. Give him time to build some strength and he is going to be awesome. I can’t wait.’
Joao Fonseca is already building hype
Fonseca is likely experiencing something that few 18-year-olds in tennis ever will, given the support he is garnering from his home fans.
However, the irony is that he arguably could not be further away from Brazil, yet gets a strong contingent of supporters no matter where he plays.
It’s not just his compatriots that are aware of his precocious talent though, with the rest of the world slowly starting to take note now too.
Seeing Joao Fonseca’s forehand up close was an eye-opening moment, with the spin and ferocity behind every strike a scary prospect when he does fully mature.
But equally as impressive was how he dealt with a hostile home crowd during his second-round clash against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, coming through that match with a straight-sets win at the French Open.
Mature beyond his years and with all the tools to be a genuine threat for many years to come, it’s an exciting time to be a fan of Brazilian tennis.
