Joao Fonseca has delivered some impressive performances on the ATP Tour in recent months.
After a disappointing start to his 2026 campaign, the Brazilian made some improvements during the ‘Sunshine Double’ of the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open.
Fonseca had career-first clashes with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and despite falling to both stars, he gave them a run for their money.
Which Grand Slam title would you like to see Joao Fonseca win?
The 19-year-old forced Sinner to two tiebreaks and clinched eight games off of world number one Alcaraz.
Fonseca is among the top candidates to snap the dominance of the ‘new two’, and tennis legend Juan Martin Del Potro suggested he is capable of doing so.
Juan Martin Del Potro discusses Joao Fonseca
In an interview with ‘La Nacion‘, Del Potro said: “Winning a Grand Slam isn’t easy. Very few of us managed it in the era of the big three.
“And now, I think very few will be able to beat Sinner and Alcaraz. They’ve won the last nine Grand Slams and are clearly ahead of the rest.
Who is the better hard court player – Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?
“I hope a Latin American can do it. Many years have passed. There are good Argentine players, and there’s Fonseca, who needs time and maturity.
“Before I beat [Roger] Federer for the first time, I lost to him six times. The same with [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic. It’s a process.
“You have to face them and lose once, twice, three times, and little by little you learn their game, and you gain confidence.”
Asked about Fonseca, the former US Open champion said: “He’s very young. He has a lot of potential. He has very good shots, and today’s tennis is very powerful, so he has that advantage.”
Joao Fonseca’s chance to gain points during the clay swing
Fonseca reached a career-high ranking of 24th in the world towards the back end of last year, but he has dipped since then.
In the live ATP rankings, Fonseca is currently placed 41st, having lost points with a second-round exit in Miami following his third-round finish last year.
There is good news for Fonseca, however, with the young star now getting his clay-court season underway, where he’ll have the chance to pick up plenty of ranking points.
Fonseca entered two of the three clay Masters events last year, and suffered early exits in both of them.
He lost in the second round of the Madrid Open and crashed out in his opening match at the Italian Open.
Having not appeared in Monte-Carlo during 2025, a deep run in any of the three tournaments will see his ranking rise again.
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