There has been a lot of chatter within junior circles about Brazil’s Joao Fonseca.

At Roland Garros last month, where he made his Junior Grand Slam debut, the 15-year-old reached the third round after defeating junior world No.  2 Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay in the second round.

Fonseca, who has risen to No. 57 in the boys’ rankings, is through to the second round of the Junior Championships, Wimbledon after dispatching No. 13 seed Lautaro Midon of Argentina in the first round. He faces Sebastian Gorzny of the United States in round two on Tuesday.

Coached by Andre Sa, Fonseca was happy to sit down and take part in a short Q&A following his first-round victory at the Junior Championships. 

How does it feel to have chalked up a win in your first ever match at Wimbledon?

It feels incredible. This is my favourite tournament. I have never previously played on grass before last week when I played Roehampton – that was my first time on grass – and it is amazing.

Why is Wimbledon your favourite tournament?

It is the most elegant with everybody wearing white and it is beautiful. Andre Sa is my coach and he has spoken a lot to me about Wimbledon and I am very excited to be here.

Has Wimbledon lived up to billing so far? What have been some of the highlights?

Winning! Winning my first match has been the highlight but watching the likes of Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic around the place and seeing their matches, it has been amazing to be around the professionals. This is only my second Grand Slam after Roland Garros and I am only 15 years old. It feels quite amazing to just be here.

What is your background in tennis and how have you got to this point in your career?

I started playing tennis when I was four years old. I come from a sport family where everybody plays sport. I started with my mum who loves tennis and I fell in love with the sport too. When I was nine or 10, I started playing tournaments in Brazil, while by 12 I was among the top five players in Brazil and often getting to semi-finals. Until the age of 12 it was always tennis and soccer, but from then I chose tennis. Towards the end of last year, I won my first events on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors – three J5s in Brazil, Panama and Paraguay. After those victories, I started getting more excited and things are going really well, but there is a long way to go and I just have to trust my coaches and my family, who support me a lot. I am just enjoying myself and I am so happy.

For people who don’t know you, how would you describe your style of play?

I am aggressive and I like to end a point in three shots – I don’t like to run a lot. I would describe myself as a very aggressive player.

Is there a lot of interest back home in Brazil about your journey here in Europe and you competing at Wimbledon?

There are a lot of people following me here and sending me good vibes, which is very nice and makes me happier and more excited to play. Bruno Soares was watching my match [against Midon] and Guga [Gustavo Kuerten] watched my first match at Roland Garros. Then there is Andre, of course.

How much of an influence and inspiration is Andre?

I started with Andre towards the beginning of last year and he is amazing and has so much experience. Having done what he did in his career, he has already passed so much knowledge to me. Given his talent and tennis skills, it is amazing to be with him and he has helped me a lot. Coming into Wimbledon, he advised me to slice, focus on good returns, start each point aggressively, come to the net and be very intense. That is exactly what I am trying to do. I love it here.