Joao Fonseca admits tough conditions after win over Tabilo

Joao Fonseca came out on top in his opening match at the 2026 Munich Open, beating Alejandro Tabilo 7-6, 6-3.

It was a solid start for Fonseca, who handled the chilly conditions better than his opponent. Both players struggled early on, but as the match went on, Fonseca found his rhythm and played with more freedom.

After the match, Fonseca spoke about the challenging weather and how it impacted his performance.

Joao Fonseca discusses cold weather after win over Alejandro Tabilo in Munich

“It was a little bit cold, so I needed a good warm-up to stay alive in this match,” Fonseca said after the match.

“Even in the breaks, my hand was freezing, but I’m happy with the fight today.”

Fonseca was asked if it had been tough adjusting from Monte Carlo’s warm weather to the colder temperatures in Munich.

“I mean, that’s tennis,” he replied.

“Every week is a different surface, different type of clay, altitude here, different weather. You need to adapt, you have one or two days to adapt, and yeah, that’s tennis. Whoever adapts better is going to have better results.”

The Brazilian handled it well against Tabilo and looked comfortable throughout much of the match. Afterward, he spoke about his experience playing against Tabilo:

Fonseca now prepares for Arthur Rinderknech in the next round—a player he recently defeated on his way to the quarter-finals at Monte Carlo.

“We had a three-set match; he’s serving pretty well. Here at altitude, it’s difficult,” Fonseca continued.“But I’m very confident and playing good tennis, so I’m ready for the next round.”Fonseca will face Rinderknech again on Wednesday 15th April.

Joao Fonseca enjoying promising start to 2026 season

Fonseca continues to impress this year, building on the potential that many have already seen in him.

Still just 19, he’s already collected two ATP titles and reached as high as world No. 24. That’s quite a résumé for someone so early in their career.

It hasn’t all been easy, though. He opened the year with back-to-back losses but quickly steadied the ship after that slow start.

His solid performances at Indian Wells and Monte Carlo have helped him bounce back well since then.

Fonseca hasn’t dropped a match to anyone ranked outside the top three since his loss to Ignacio Buse in February, a streak that’s lifted him up to No. 31 in the live rankings.

A strong clay-court swing could push him even higher ahead of this year’s French Open, where he’ll be looking for a deeper run after last year’s third-round exit. The tournament kicks off on May 18th.

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