​Joao Fonseca made his return to action after a month out at the Davis Cup on Friday. Fonseca had not played since the Cincinnati Open, where he withdrew due to a left abdomen issue before ultimately pulling out of the US Open. Representing Brazil in their tie with Switzerland at the Davis Cup, the 20-year-old triumphed in his first match back against Dominic Stricker. After the match, Fonseca broke down in tears before giving a very frank assessment of his 2026 season thus far. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesJoao Fonseca speaks after winning his first match back from injuryFacing the media after his victory, Fonseca admitted: “It has been a difficult year.“I have struggled with a lack of confidence and some injuries. I didn’t come here at 100%, I couldn’t even guarantee that I would be able to play, but this moment, playing the Davis Cup for Brazil, means a lot to me.“I gave my best and it is a very important victory for me and for the team. Without a doubt, this victory can give me a lot of confidence, but also a lot of maturity. Not only for the rest of the year, but for the rest of my career.”After his breakthrough season on the ATP Tour last year, fans of Fonseca will be underwhelmed by how his 2026 campaign has gone.While injuries have certainly played their part, for the most part, Fonseca did not really announce himself on the biggest stages. There was, of course, his monumental victory over Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, which looked like the catalyst for bigger and better things to come for the young star. But since then, Fonseca has failed to make it to the quarterfinals of any tour-level event.He won just two matches across the grass swing, crashing out in the opening round of Halle and the third round of Wimbledon. Fonseca managed to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud at the Canadian Open but fell to eventual champion Ben Shelton in round four. He picked up one victory in Cincinnati before being forced to withdraw from his second match due to injury. Between now and the end of the season, Fonseca has 550 points to defend, 500 of which come at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, where he is the defending champion.