Prizmic and Fonseca reach quarter-finals and point to idol inspiration
Dino Prizmic is now the highest seeded player remaining in the boys’ draw after the Croatian recovered from a set down to beat promising young Czech Maxim Mrva at the Roland Garros Junior Championships.
The 17-year-old No. 3 seed defeated Mrva 4-6 6-1 6-0 and will now face Great Britain’s Henry Searle in the quater-finals, while another player to advance to the competition’s last eight is highly-rated Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
Fonseca, who was part of the victorious Brazil team that topped the podium at the 2022 Davis Cup Juniors Finals in Antalya, Türkiye, overcame Bulgaria’s Iliyan Radulov 3-6 6-2 6-3. Fonseca will now face Learner Tien of the United States for a place in the semi-finals.
Common to both Prizmic and Fonseca is the extent to which much-loved tennis legends from their respective nations have played a part in their own development and journies within the sport.
While Prizmic may have followed his sister into tennis, it is the likes of Borna Coric, Marin Cilic and Goran Ivanisevic who have since fuelled his love for the game and ignited his ambition. Being able to regularly share a court with the likes of Coric and Cilic has proven a blessing.
“I have shared the court with them and they have given me so much advice,” Prizmic, who is already ranked No. 293 in the ATP Rankings and is managed by another former Croatian heavyweight in Ivan Ljubicic – Roger Federer’s former coach.
“They were such amazing players, so it was a big chance for me to be able to share the court with them. I am really fortunate that they shared their experiences with me.”
As for Fonseca, how can you not be inspired to play on clay when you are Brazilian? A quarter-finalist at the Australian Open Junior Championships in January, Fonseca played superbly to beat Radulov.
“It was a big battle today,” Fonseca tells itftennis.com. “It’s a great result given it’s my second time at Roland Garros. It’s incredible here, and feels even more incredible after this win. My whole family and friends are here, the crowd is huge. This means a lot.”
Fonseca grew up on clay and knows his tennis history. He does not disguise the fact that walking where three-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten previously strolled is very special.
“Guga won here three times and I am very happy to be able to play so well on these courts now in front of so many Brazilian fans,” said Rio de Janeiro-based Fonseca, who started playing tennis at the age of four.
“Both my parents play tennis – my mom is still playing. I went to see my brother practising after school one day and started to hit a ball too. I was always playing football but got injured, so I just continued with tennis and now I’m here.”
Fonseca also values the opportunity to talk to and seek advice from someone as esteemed as Kuerten, which naturally is a huge source of motivation.
“Guga was a big inspiration for me," he added. "He’s the most famous Brazilian tennis player. I also like Novak Djokovic so much, because of his mentality.
"I met him and we shared experiences. He’s an amazing person. When he talks, it’s like you are in the story, it’s very emotional. He gave me some advice but it’s really personal.”
American Tien, meanwhile, does not do tennis mentors or idols, but that did not matter today as the left-handed Californian gained revenge for his defeat in the Australian Open boys' final in January by beating junior world No. 2 Alexander Blockx of Belgium. Blockx retired after Tien had claimed the first set 6-4.
“It feels great because I wasn’t able to come here last year," Tien, who won the boys' doubles at January's Australian Open alongside fellow American Cooper Williams, tells itftennis.com.
"I got Covid right before the tournament started but thankfully I had another year to come back and play, and make the most of it.
"We had a really tight match in Australia, I didn’t get that one but I'm glad I came through today, even if it’s not the way you want to win.”
“I’ve been kind of waiting for this match since that final in Melbourne. One or two points have been replaying in my head over and over again, and you wish you could have it all back but you can’t.
"The only thing you can really do is wait for the next chance against that player and make the most of it.”
Tien is very honest about past struggles with motivation.
“I didn’t know for a long time if it was going to be a career I wanted to pursue," he said." There were some ups and downs, and my love for tennis waivered at some points in my life.
"My will to play wasn’t there sometimes. But over the past few years, I really feel like my enjoyment and my love for tennis has spiked, so it’s been great.”
“It was more just boredom. I wasn’t sure if there was something else I wanted to do. But I had been playing tennis for so long and it was such a huge part of my life.
"I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that any longer. But sudden enjoyment came to me and also I thought, ‘I’ve come so far, I can’t just stop’. Then I started dedicating myself more and the results started to show more.
“As a result, I’ve never put a lot of pressure on myself to play. I wanted to play if I enjoyed it and my parents always made it very clear that if I didn’t enjoy it, I didn’t have to play.
"Obviously, there are expectations that grow on you when you get better but it’s something everyone has to deal with.”
Coached by Brian Baker from the USTA here, Tien knows what his main weapons are and his stress-free demeanor should not be underestimated.
“I don’t give away matches. I try to make other players earn the matches they play against me," he added.
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A full list of results at the 2023 Roland Garros Junior Championships is available by clicking here.