Joao Fonseca has proved over the past few weeks that the hype surrounding him is not just white noise.
The Brazilian, tipped by many as the man to snap the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, has delivered impressive performances against both of the ‘new two’ during the Sunshine Double.
Fonseca played Sinner for the first time at the Indian Wells Open and forced the Italian to two tiebreaks, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line.
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
Then, the 19-year-old had his maiden tour-level clash with Alcaraz in Miami, and gave the world number one a run for his money in a 6-4, 6-4 defeat.
Though he has made some big improvements recently, former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski thinks Fonseca needs a lot more time before he is able to beat the world’s best two players consistently.
Greg Rusedski discusses Joao Fonseca’s level at the moment
Speaking in an episode of ‘Off Court with Greg‘, Rusedski said: “Fonseca said one thing that was really interesting. It’s easier to play Jannik Sinner than it is to play Carlos Alcaraz.
Who is the better hard court player – Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?
“So Alcaraz has those few extra dimensions with the drop shot, change of height, coming forward, and transition.
“And I wish Fonseca had got off to a better start, because once you give Carlos the lead, he runs away with it. There were no lapses. As we saw, great crowds for that match.
“This will be a rivalry, but Fonseca is a year away from joining that party of three because he’s still learning how to adjust those things.
“We saw a lot of promise in Indian Wells, but he is the real deal. And you saw by the crowds, not only in Indian Wells, but especially in Miami, how popular this kid is. So this is only good for the men’s game.”
Joao Fonseca’s results so far this season
Fonseca had a fairly poor start to the season as he dealt with a lower back injury, which saw him withdraw from the Brisbane International.
Following a first-round exit at the Australian Open, he crashed out in his opening match in Buenos Aires, where he was the defending champion.
Then, Fonseca claimed his first win of the 2026 season at the Rio Open against Thiago Monteiro, but fell in his next match to Ignacio Buse in three sets.
At the Indian Wells Open, Fonseca finally managed to string some wins together, triumphing in his opening three matches before losing to Sinner in round four.
He earned his fifth win of the season at the Miami Open, but was knocked out of the tournament by Alcaraz.
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