Tennis fans, pundits, and anyone with a keen interest in the sport have run away with the idea that Joao Fonseca is the next big star in tennis, and for good reason.
Fonseca, still just 19 years of age, enjoyed a stellar debut season on the ATP Tour, during which he picked up two titles and achieved a career-high ranking of 24th in the world.
While the hype surrounding the Brazilian, particularly from his home country, may seem overblown at times, it’s hard to deny he is an incredible talent, and there’s plenty of time for that talent to be honed in on.
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
But the second chapter of his career in 2026 has not exactly gone to plan, with Fonseca still struggling to make a lengthy campaign at the biggest tournaments, namely Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000 events.
The young star recorded an even worse finish at the Australian Open than last year, crashing out in the first round, and has made just one quarterfinal in this season’s edition of the Masters series.
Of course, any concerns over Fonseca’s form should be contextualised: He is still a developing player.
That said, one statistic he has recorded so far in 2026 is rather concerning as Roland Garros approaches.
Joao Fonseca’s poor record in long matches during the 2026 season
Fonseca has put up a win-loss record of 11-7 in 2026, which is by no means a disaster.
There have been some impressive performances in there too, most notably against the world’s two best players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
He faced the ‘new two’ for the first time across the Sunshine Double, giving both Sinner and Alcaraz a run for their money in Indian Wells and Miami, respectively.
- Against Sinner in Indian Wells: 7-6, 7-6 (Loss)
- Against Alcaraz in Miami: 6-4, 6-4 (Loss)
However, an alarming statistic raised by journalist Sergio Arenillas on X showed that Fonseca has failed to come through long battles.
On Sunday, Fonseca exited the Madrid Open after losing to fellow teenage sensation Rafael Jodar in a clash that lasted two hours and seven minutes.
The match was Fonseca’s eighth this season that has surpassed the two-hour mark, from which he has secured just two wins.
It was also the eighth time this year that Fonseca has lost the first set, and from those situations, the world number 31 has picked up only one victory.
Granted, it’s a small sample size, and perhaps some of the above can be attributed to any lingering issues from his back injury he sustained earlier this year, but Fonseca’s record can’t fill his fans with any confidence about his chances at Grand Slams, where matches tend to be much longer.
Which Grand Slam title would you like to see Joao Fonseca win?
As it is, Fonseca’s Grand Slam campaigns have already been fairly indifferent, with no fourth rounds made in five appearances.
Of the four Grand Slam matches that went more than three sets in his career so far, Fonseca has triumphed in just one of them, which came against Jenson Brooksby at Wimbledon in 2025.
Young players like Fonseca are usually the ones who are expected to come out on top in matches that go the distance, but that has not been the case for the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals champion.
Fonseca has been tipped to win several majors in the future, but if things are to materialise in the way we hope, his performances in these two-plus hour marathons need to improve.
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