Joao Fonseca gives his verdict on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and outlines his plans for the future

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Joao Fonseca has been compared to both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz during his first full year on tour.

When Fonseca stunned Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open in January, fans began to question whether he could join Sinner and Alcaraz as the third member of the new ‘big three’.

After Australia, Fonseca won the Argentina Open, picking up his maiden ATP title in South America.

Strong Grand Slam results followed, before Fonseca defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to win his first-ever ATP 500 title in Basel.

With his 2025 campaign coming to a close, Fonseca has now shared his thoughts on Alcaraz and Sinner and said whether he thinks he could challenge them in the future.

Joao Fonseca ‘hopes’ he will challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

During a recent interview with CNN, Fonseca gave his verdict on the world number one and two.

“What they’re doing is amazing. They’re winning every tournament that they play,” said Fonseca.

“They motivate all the other players to put more work in day by day, and try to be with them, try to win more tournaments, try to win matches, be more consistent.”

The 19-year-old wants to be up there competing with the Spaniard and Italian before too long.

“Hopefully, in the future, I will be with them, playing and competing in finals,” said Fonseca.

“But one step at a time, and let’s put in the work.”

Fonseca has yet to meet either player on the ATP Tour, but will face off against Alcaraz in an exhibition event later this year.

Should the Brazilian continue his charge up the rankings, it might not be long before we see him play the pair in a professional match.

Thanks to his efforts in Basel last time out, Fonseca made his top-30 debut, slotting in at number 28.

Fonseca is currently trailing world number 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime by 1,580 points, a gap he’ll be looking to close down in the new year.

Should he become a top 10 player in 2026, he’d avoid playing the big names in early rounds of tournaments, theoretically increasing his chances of meeting the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz later on.

Whether he can make that next jump remains to be seen, but it will certainly be something to look out for in the new year.

What has Carlos Alcaraz said about Joao Fonseca?

Fonseca wants to compete with the very best in men’s tennis, but what does the world number one think about the teenage sensation?

Earlier this year, when Fonseca won the title in Buenos Aires, Alcaraz was quick to congratulate the youngster on social media.

“Impressive Joao [Fonseca]. Many congrats.”

Then, when a fan said tennis ‘needs’ a match between Alcaraz and Fonseca, the Spaniard provided the following response.

“Soon,” he said.

One year into his career, Fonseca has made a good first impression with most players, past and present, that he’s come across.

Earlier this week, Andy Roddick shared what he thought about Fonseca when they met for the first time at the US Open in August.

“This guy is the real deal. I had the pleasure of meeting him in New York this year, engaged, looks you in the eye,” said Roddick.

“I like everything about him, you can always kind of tell, with how the other players act around someone, someone who came out with that much hype, is that young… I felt a lot of push back in the locker room when I was in his position, probably because I was a p— or still am one, but he doesn’t seem like that, he seems really nice.

“It seems like the other players really enjoy being around him, so props to him.”

Only time will tell if Fonseca will remain popular if he starts to beat those same players on a more regular basis…

Withdrawing from the Hellenic Championship in Athens, Greece, Fonseca’s first full season on tour came to an end.

He’ll likely return in the new year for a warm-up tournament before the Australian Open begins on Monday, January 12.