2025 ATP General News

[El Dude]

Fonseca is getting out-played on just about every rally.

 

[El Dude]

Well, he lost he first set 6-2. The worst I've seen him play. It is early, but it seems he suffers a bit from "post-win let-down," as if winning a first match is a title victory in and of itself. Other than the Next Gen finals, we haven't seen him really go all that deep into a tournament.

 

[don_fabio]

Fonseca needs to get a better depth on his shots at present

Yeah, and he lacks patience at the moment. Clay game grind can be tough.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

That was a 'error ridden' 1st set from Fonseca off both wings, needs more patience for starters
Lets see if he can re- set his game the 2nd set
Coria 62 1st set

 

[El Dude]

Tide seems to be turning - Fonzie breaks Coria to go up 2-1. Hopefully he can hold here.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Good response from Fonseca, better patience as well, less UFE winning 6-4
Going 3

 

[don_fabio]

1 set all. Fonseca is living dangerously, high count of winners, but errors too. Good match though and nice to watch clay tennis for a change.

 

[don_fabio]

There is tennis everywhere at the moment. Why does Meddy has the grumpy game face recently? Like he doesn't want to be there..

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

There is tennis everywhere at the moment. Why does Meddy has the grumpy game face recently? Like he doesn't want to be there..

Meddy has to start winning matches for starters, he might find himself out of the top 10, he took a WC for Marseille tournament

 

[El Dude]

Meddy has to start winning matches for starters, he might find himself out of the top 10, he took a WC for Marseille tournament

Daniil hasn't reached the final of ANY tournament since Indian Wells last year - almost a year now. In a way, reaching finals is a better indicator of level than actually winning them - a player could be facing a maxed out player in a final and lose, but getting to them on a consistent basis implies a high level of play. So this is more worrying to me than his title drought, although that is concerning as well (Rome 2023).

(In other words, if you are reaching finals you're playing great; if you lose in a final, it only means one guy played better on the day)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Fonseca will serve for the match 5-2
This has been a good test for him he turned the match around in his favor, cutting down on UFE, in tough conditions
Fonseca d Coria 26 64 62!

 

[don_fabio]

Fonseca will serve for the match 5-2
This has been a good test for him he turned the match around in his favor, cutting down on UFE, in tough conditions
Fonseca d Coria 26 64 62!

If Rune wins against Navone, then we will see Rune battle against Fonseca. That should be a fun match.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

If Rune wins against Navone, then we will see Rune battle against Fonseca. That should be a fun match.

Indeed what a match up, also isnt good to watch clay tennis

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

BTW, Fonseca reaching the QFs in Buenos Aires he has moved up 11 places to No 88 in the live rankings, setting himself up for a new career high ranking

 

[El Dude]

If Rune wins against Navone, then we will see Rune battle against Fonseca. That should be a fun match.

Yeah, I've been hoping for that one.

 

[mrzz]

If Rune wins against Navone, then we will see Rune battle against Fonseca. That should be a fun match.

I knew the Coria match was going to be tricky. Was almost sure he would lose the first.

If Fonseca is lucky to get Rune, he will wipe all the clay from those courts with him.

 

[Kieran]

Both Rune and Djokovic won Masters as 19 year olds. I'd say that's scoring pretty big as teenagers - or, at least, "having a say."

Yeah but we were far from the days when seventeen year olds were winning Wimbledon and the French Open..

 

[El Dude]

Yeah but we were far from the days when seventeen year olds were winning Wimbledon and the French Open..

Yeah, I get it - I just think that winning a Masters as a teen is pretty big in the current era. I highly doubt we'll ever see a 17-year old win a Slam again...I mean, never say never, but the game is too physical. The last 17 year olds were in the 80s (Chang, I believe, and of course Becker and Wilander).

Fonzie will have two chances as an 18-year old to win a Slam. I highly doubt he wins a Slam this year, but it is conceivable - and he's about as good a candidate as I can imagine. But the main thing is I just don't see him with the stamina to win seven best-of-5s in a row.

 

[El Dude]

I'm super optimistic about Fonseca and Tien becoming greats. It takes a very special player to do the things they're doing at 18/19. Maybe even Mensik as well.

Sinner probably qualifies as a can't miss player. (We missed out on Sinner's back half of age 18 due to the pandemic. When play returned, Sinner made the French Open a month and a half after his 19th birthday, which was the same age Tien was at the Australian Open.) Like Federer, it just took a little longer to put it all together, but once he did, he was pure dominance.

I'm not yet sold on Tien becoming great. Very good, yes. Right now I see Mensik as having higher upside.

I know we were impressed by Sinner from early on, but if memory serves, he wasn't viewed as "can't miss" to become a top player, more "possible elite and more." But yeah, his developmental arc is very similar to Federer's. I started noticing that with Elo back in 2023 and tentatively voiced it here - with the caveat "not saying he'll be as good as Roger, but..."

 

[El Dude]

My "under-22" rankings - in order of upside and perceived likelihood of reaching that upside - with the over/under level of disappointment:

1. Fonseca - #1 player, multi-Slam winner
2. Mensik - top 5 player, Slam winner
3. Rune - top 5 player, Slam winner
4. Perricard - top 10, mult-Masters winner, Slam darkhorse
5. Tien - top 10, mult-Masters winner, Slam darkhorse
6. Fils - top 10, multi-Masters winner, Slam darkhorse

After that you have guys like Michelsen, Shang, etc - hard to say where they might end up, but likely lower than those six. Alcaraz is still 21, but he's already actualized a very high level. I suppose he still has an "over/under" on disappointment...which is if he doesn't take another stop forward; it will be disappointing if he's already as good as he'll ever get.

It may not be fair to consider Fonseca a disappointment if he doesn't reach #1 and win multiple Slams, but I think he's just that promising.

I might swap Tien and Perricard, depending upon how this year goes. I don't think Perricard is just a servebot, but he seems to have a good chance of being Isner or Raonic, maybe Ivanisevic if his defense improves a bit.

Fils has slipped a bit, imo - or at least his upside seems a bit less than it once was. I've never been super high on him, though. No shame in being top 10, of course.