Joao Fonseca has already made huge strides despite his brief time on the ATP Tour so far.
Fonseca has two ATP Tour titles to his name at the age of 19, triumphing in Buenos Aires and Basel in 2025.
The Brazilian teenager has also climbed as high as 24 in the world rankings, although he has since slipped to number 30.
Fonseca has very high hopes for his career, with the Australian Open now his priority, where he will take on Eliot Spizzirri in round one.
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
Roger Federer says the ‘sky’s the limit’ for Joao Fonseca
Tennis legend Roger Federer has now shared his take on the youngster ahead of the event, having been asked if he could be the third player in the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
He said: “You don’t want to be the third guy. You want to be the guy. For anybody… I would think hopefully that’s what he’s thinking. Of course, you don’t want to get carried away and think too far ahead.
“Like in our time when people say, I’m going to try to win the Australian Open. There are all the other legends in the room. Sometimes I think the media didn’t allow them to speak up.
“I think anybody from the draw could come here and say, I want to win the Australian Open. It should be totally the same for Joao. I hope he has that mindset.
“I think what separates him from a lot of the other guys in the draw are his power, forehand, backhand, serve, what he’s able to bring point for point.
“He’s exciting. He has a good aura. I feel like he’s a very likeable character as well. I like watching him play.
“I briefly met him at the Laver Cup. I saw him also courtside and also from the back. It was impressive to see.
“I just think he’s more a little bit like me in the sense he needs a little bit more time to work on his game. Similar to Jannik, as well, to know when to dial back and when to unload his shots.
“Once he figures that out, obviously the sky’s the limit. But obviously I think he’s truly one of the guys that can compete for the biggest wins.”
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Joao Fonseca has already emulated Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Federer was, of course, involved in a three-way rivalry during his playing career alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
He knows all about such a battle, with the legendary trio having constantly pushed each other on the court for so many years.
And while it is early for Fonseca and indeed still for Alcaraz and Sinner, the Brazilian has already followed in their footsteps.
He burst onto the scene by winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals title, a feat Alcaraz achieved in 2021, two years after Sinner.
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