Tennis-Rising star Fonseca still adjusting to newfound fame

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By Rory Carroll

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) – Joao Fonseca said he is still getting used to signing autographs instead of asking for them after the Brazilian teenager showcased his talent with a win over Jacob Fearnley in his first match at Indian Wells on Thursday.

The buzz around Fonseca has gone into overdrive since the 18-year-old beat Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open for his first win over a top 10 opponent and followed that up by winning his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires last month.

“Everything is new for me,” Fonseca said after his 6-2 1-6 6-3 win over Britain’s Fearnley.

“I’m still young and I’m still kind of getting used to this. But seeing people, and not only Brazilians but from all over the world, cheering for me and calling my name, kids wanting autographs.

“Two years ago it was me asking for the autographs. It’s just very nice to see those kids and people watching me.”

Fonseca, a wildcard entry at Indian Wells, said he was a bit star struck after speaking to double defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic on Thursday.

“I just met Carlos before my match, and I asked in Spanish – hey, how you doing?” he said.

“With Novak, I was just leaving the court that I practiced on after my match as he was entering. He asked if I won. I said I won. Then he just congratulated me.

“It was just super cool that he was talking to me.”

Fonseca said one of the keys to dealing with his newfound fame was to stay grounded.

“I’m a guy that likes to stay with the team, stay with the family, not focus about what the media is talking about,” he said.

“I need to get used to this. It’s normal.”

Fonseca faces another Briton in the second round on Friday — 13th seed Jack Draper.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Indian Wells; Editing by Peter Rutherford)