Joao Fonseca is not the only teenage star on the ATP Tour to keep an eye on this year.
Fonseca is predicted to be a future Grand Slam champion, with the Brazilian making a huge breakthrough last year after climbing over 100 places in the rankings.
The 19-year-old has not made the start to the 2026 season that he would have wanted, as Fonseca struggled with a back injury at the start of the year.
While Fonseca has not had the results many expected so far this year, there is another teenager who is currently going under the radar.
Rafael Jodar has made a better start to 2026 than Joao Fonseca
Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, whose idol is unsurprisingly Rafael Nadal, has made a very impressive start to 2026.
Jodar was at the University of Virginia until the end of 2025, having climbed from outside the top 900 to inside the top 200 last year.
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
The 19-year-old has continued his rise in 2026, which started when Jodar reached the final of the ATP Challenger tournament in Canberra.
Jodar had never won a main tour match prior to this year, but he changed this at the Australian Open.
After coming through qualifying, Jodar won his first ever Grand Slam main draw match against fellow qualifier Rei Sakamoto.
The Miami Open was his latest tournament, where Jodar came through qualifying to win his first two main draw matches at a Masters 1000 tournament.
As a result of Jodar’s success so far this year, he currently leads the race to the Next Gen ATP Finals, which is for players aged 20 and under.
This is even ahead of Fonseca, who currently sits in third behind another Spanish player in Martin Landaluce, who reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open in a huge breakthrough run.
Both Spanish players will now make big jumps up the rankings, with Jodar confirmed to make his top 100 debut, while Landaluce is closing in on the same achievement.
| Race to the Next Gen ATP Finals | Age | Ranking Points Earned in 2026 | Live ATP Ranking |
| 1. Rafael Jodar | 19 | 319 | No.88 |
| 2. Martin Landaluce | 20 | 260 | No.106 |
| 3. Joao Fonseca | 19 | 190 | No.40 |
Joao Fonseca has an opportunity to climb back up the rankings during the clay court season
Fonseca played both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for the first time in Indian Wells and Miami, respectively, causing two early exits during the Sunshine Double, but there have definitely been more promising signs for the Brazilian.
He now has a big opportunity during the clay court season, where Fonseca only has a total of 140 ranking points to defend.
Fonseca has slipped down the rankings at the start of the 2026 season, and he will now look to return to the top 32 places to ensure he is seeded at the French Open.
| Clay court tournament Joao Fonseca has entered | Points Joao Fonseca earned last year |
| Monte Carlo Masters | Did not play |
| BMW Open (Munich) | Did not play |
| Madrid Open | 30 |
| Italian Open | 10 |
| French Open | 100 |
The 19-year-old will begin his clay court season by making his debut at the Monte Carlo Masters, which is already confirmed to be missing three top 10 players including Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
Fonseca will be looking to impress in his first appearance at the Monte Carlo Masters, which begins on April 5.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
