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I suppose this could be the unofficial official Fonseca thread. I mean, the kid deserves it!
Rather than post this in the general thread, I thought I'd start this off by mentioning something that has been bubbling in the back of my mind about Fonseca. As my friends here know, I lean into stats and history and tend to defer to more experienced tennis eyes for the subtleties of the game on court, but I've been thinking about something that I haven't really heard mentioned, that I've noticed in his play.
The first thing people talk about with Fonzie is usually his forehand and/or his clutch play - which results in amazingly fearless shot-making. People also talk about his overall skill set - yet another young guy who seemingly can do everything. But I don't hear a lot of talk about his movement, and I think I pin-pointed why. He doesn't obviously move quickly around the court like Alcaraz (I mean, who does?), nor does he fit the archetype of the tall guy with surprisingly good movement like Sinner. In fact, on a casual viewing, his movement isn't particularly noteworthy - partially because of his more obvious and eye-catching skills like the forehand that tend to grab our attention. But what has been tickling at the back of my mind is that he seems to have an amazing sense of the court, like he can anticipate where to be and when to go for a shot or not, and somehow be there. He doesn't immediately wow you, but he always seems set up to hit the ball well, which I think is a big factor in what makes so so quickly transition from defense to offense.
In other words, I think his movement is subtly extraordinary - like he's always in stealth mode, moving around the court and being in the right place to hit the ball well. In a way, he reminds me a bit of Roger. He doesn't have the obvious gazelle-like grace, but it is a similar kind of efficiency. He doesn't do the splits like Novak or run everywhere like Alcaraz, but somehow he's just there to hammer the ball.
Now he doesn't get to every ball. He's not like Alcaraz, who seems to go for everything, no matter how improbable, and somehow get to everything. He seems to anticipate his probabilities and only go all out when he has a chance. Maybe his quick decision making is "Can I hit the ball well?" If he can, he'll go for it. If not, he'll live to play another point.
Actually, another player that comes to mind is Marat Safin. Re-watching a bit of his 2005 AO SF defeat of Roger, I am struck by how Safin seemed to control the court - he always seemed to be close to center, rarely off balance or all over the place. He moved the ball everywhere, pushing Roger all over the place. Fonseca reminds me a bit of that.
Anyhow, this is just a "draft" idea. I'd like to watch him more, to see how it looks on court. But I think his movement will eventually be recognized as rather extraordinary, if in a very subtle, almost nondescript, away.
Rather than post this in the general thread, I thought I'd start this off by mentioning something that has been bubbling in the back of my mind about Fonseca. As my friends here know, I lean into stats and history and tend to defer to more experienced tennis eyes for the subtleties of the game on court, but I've been thinking about something that I haven't really heard mentioned, that I've noticed in his play.
The first thing people talk about with Fonzie is usually his forehand and/or his clutch play - which results in amazingly fearless shot-making. People also talk about his overall skill set - yet another young guy who seemingly can do everything. But I don't hear a lot of talk about his movement, and I think I pin-pointed why. He doesn't obviously move quickly around the court like Alcaraz (I mean, who does?), nor does he fit the archetype of the tall guy with surprisingly good movement like Sinner. In fact, on a casual viewing, his movement isn't particularly noteworthy - partially because of his more obvious and eye-catching skills like the forehand that tend to grab our attention. But what has been tickling at the back of my mind is that he seems to have an amazing sense of the court, like he can anticipate where to be and when to go for a shot or not, and somehow be there. He doesn't immediately wow you, but he always seems set up to hit the ball well, which I think is a big factor in what makes so so quickly transition from defense to offense.
In other words, I think his movement is subtly extraordinary - like he's always in stealth mode, moving around the court and being in the right place to hit the ball well. In a way, he reminds me a bit of Roger. He doesn't have the obvious gazelle-like grace, but it is a similar kind of efficiency. He doesn't do the splits like Novak or run everywhere like Alcaraz, but somehow he's just there to hammer the ball.
Now he doesn't get to every ball. He's not like Alcaraz, who seems to go for everything, no matter how improbable, and somehow get to everything. He seems to anticipate his probabilities and only go all out when he has a chance. Maybe his quick decision making is "Can I hit the ball well?" If he can, he'll go for it. If not, he'll live to play another point.
Actually, another player that comes to mind is Marat Safin. Re-watching a bit of his 2005 AO SF defeat of Roger, I am struck by how Safin seemed to control the court - he always seemed to be close to center, rarely off balance or all over the place. He moved the ball everywhere, pushing Roger all over the place. Fonseca reminds me a bit of that.
Anyhow, this is just a "draft" idea. I'd like to watch him more, to see how it looks on court. But I think his movement will eventually be recognized as rather extraordinary, if in a very subtle, almost nondescript, away.
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He's definitely got my attention, he gives that vibe. But for now I need to see him against other lethal movers a la the AO. We have to see if that's a match up issue or just an experience thing.
