The Australian Open has witnessed several fairytale stories in its early stages, none more so than Joao Fonseca.
John McEnroe can’t believe how good Fonseca is, with the 18-year-old Brazilian having knocked ATP number nine Andrey Rublev out of the tournament.
Fonseca caught Novak Djokovic’s eye in 2024, and the youngster has now made major strides in his first ever Grand Slam.
His dream run was, however, finally brought to an end in the second round, with Lorenzo Sonego playing the role of the villain.
Fonseca lost a five-set thriller to the Italian, but the teenager has risen to 97th place in the ATP Tour live rankings following his run in Melbourne.
Joao Fonseca’s rise compared to Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz debut seasons
His current ATP rank is 112, with his latest success resulting in Tennis Channel’s Gill Gross looking at how he compares with arguably the first full-year rankings of a handful of tennis icons.
Novak Djokovic leads the way after finishing 2006 ranked 16th, followed by Roger Federer’s 29th ranking in 2000.
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Carlos Alcaraz finished 32nd in 2021, with Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal ending 2020 and 2004 respectively in 37th and 51st respectively.
Can Joao Fonseca ignore the ‘hype’ and rise the ATP rankings further?
Fonseca deserves all of the praise he is currently getting, having made it through Australian Open qualifying without dropping a single set before knocking out Rublev.
He also went toe-to-toe with Sonego after that memorable Grand Slam debut, but ultimately fell short after three hours and 37 minutes of action.
At the same time, however, caution must be exercised around the teenager, who must now work extremely hard to stay grounded.
He will gain unavoidable attention as the season goes on, with Fonseca needing the right people around him to help keep him on track.
Coco Gauff has advised Fonseca to ignore the ‘hype’, but a very high 2025 year-end ranking is certainly on the cards if he can continue on his current trajectory.
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