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After Madrid, Alexander Blockx owns up: I’m playing catch-up to Joao Fonseca
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- After Madrid, Alexander Blockx owns up: I’m playing catch-up to Joao Fonseca
Photo by Miguel Reis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Alexander Blockx’s breakthrough finally came at the 2026 Madrid Open, where he enjoyed the best week of his career to date.
The 21-year-old, who was runner-up at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals, hadn’t made much of an impact on tour prior to this. Blockx fell in the first round of the Australian Open and didn’t qualify for Indian Wells or Miami but did make it to round three in Monte-Carlo.
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But things changed in Spain. He knocked out Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud before losing to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
This win has given further evidence that tennis’ younger generation is starting to break through. Names like Rafael Jodar are also beginning to make waves on tour.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Alexander Blockx reflects on his rise in the sport
Joao Fonseca has been talked about as a potential superstar for quite a while, though he and Blockx haven’t yet shared a court in official play.
During an interview with Clay, Blockx was asked about the possibility of a future rivalry between them. He replied: “I don’t know if there will be a rivalry. I hope someday there will. He’s a bit further than me right now. I hope to catch up to him someday.
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“At the moment, he’s still pretty far away, he has won two titles, his level is really high. I think I need to work on some things to try and keep up to him.
“But I feel like step by step I’m getting there, and hopefully we could meet sometimes in the future. He’s getting a lot of pressure, yes, but I think he’s handling it very well. He’s very young, but mentally he’s really mature for his age.
“That’s the reason why he can perform so well. He’s improving every time we see him back, and he’s a really exciting player to watch, especially for me.”
Alexander Blockx backs the current crop of youngsters
Arthur Fils and Jakub Mensik are two other players from Blockx’s generation who have also been showing a lot of potential early in their careers.
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Blockx, now ranked 36th in the world, said: “I think the generation I’m part of is a very strong one.”
“We have some really good players. I don’t see myself as the biggest star, I would say. I’m just enjoying the tournaments, the matches I play.
“There are some matches I definitely don’t enjoy, but there are always things to learn from, especially under tough conditions.”
The Belgian is currently competing at the Italian Open and has made it to round three after two solid wins. He’s up against Zverev next – the same player who beat him in Madrid.
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