Fonseca - new Djokovic is expected to stop Alcaraz and Sinner

Defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 in the ATP Swiss Indoors final at the age of 19, Fonseca became the third youngest player to win an ATP 500 tournament since the system was introduced in 2009. He was also the first Brazilian player to win a title greater than the ATP 250 in the past 24 years.

"He played unbelievable tennis. You are truly born for this sport, your future is extremely bright," Davidovich Fokina said about the teenager after the match. "You will definitely be the 'new Nole' who can defeat Alcaraz and Sinner ".

Fonseca is likened to the "new Djokovic" not only because of his comprehensive fighting style, but also because of the comments of his Serbian predecessor. When talking about the possibility of turning into a coach after hanging up his racket, Djokovic revealed that his favorite student is Fonseca. At the Miami Open in March, the owner of 24 Grand Slams openly expected Fonseca to enter the two-horse race of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

"Everyone likes to watch top competition and I hope Alcaraz and Sinner will continue that for a long time, " Nole said in Miami. "There will be people younger than them, in the next generation, who will emerge and challenge. I think those young talents will join the race, Fonseca can do it ".

When Djokovic said he wanted to coach Fonseca, many people joked that the 38-year-old player had finally found someone to help him keep his record of 24 Grand Slams alive forever. Nole is said to have found a successor, someone who will prevent Sinner and Alcaraz from overturning the milestones he built during his 20-year career.

Fonseca reminded Djokovic of the competition story he participated in with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal two decades ago: "I quite sympathize with the third person, because I was in that situation, with Federer and Nadal at their peak. Certainly I would like to see a third person appear in the middle. Sinner and Alcaraz ".

In a tennis context where Alcaraz and Sinner's counterparts were scarce, Fonseca emerged as a phenomenon. He is the youngest champion in Next Gen ATP Finals history, when he was crowned at the age of 18 at the end of last year. Previously, Jannik Sinner (2019) and Carlos Alcaraz (2020) also won awards at this age.

At the start of the 2024 season, Fonseca was just outside the top 700 in the world, but rapidly advanced to now stand at No. 28. In early 2025, he began to leave his mark on the big playground, defeating No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 3-0 in the first round. at the Australian Open.

The tennis player born in 2006 then won his first ATP Tour title at this year's Argentina Open, entering the third round of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Masters. He also won the Challenger tournament in Phoenix, defeating the likes of Kei Nishikori and Alexander Bublik, before winning the biggest championship of his career in Basel.

According to Fonseca, maturity is the factor that makes him different from contemporary young tennis players, and similar to Djokovic in the past. "I don't want to sound arrogant, but I consider myself quite mature for my age, " the teenage tennis player said. "My parents and my team always say that I absorb very quickly and can understand and immediately apply what they share, something that many people my age can hardly do. From the moment I decided to become a professional tennis player, I was very serious and responsible. "

For most teenagers, the phone is almost an indispensable item. Telling them to stop using their phones and spend more time reading books is often impossible. But for Joao Fonseca, almost not surfing the phone in his free time and reading more books is the secret to helping him maintain balance between life and his blossoming tennis career.

"My teacher doesn't like the phone at all, " Fonseca laughed when talking about the habit he inherited from coach Guiherme Teixeira. "Before, I never read books, so it was very important for him to encourage me to do that. Now I read a lot, not as well as him, but I'm trying. It's not that I have to read every week, just to minimize the time I spend scrolling on my phone.. When you have nothing to do, instead of holding your phone, read a book, to become a better person and learn something else. ".

In addition to reading, Fonseca also keeps a simple life by playing games and spending a lot of time with his family, especially his grandfather Cristiano, who he is very attached to.

"When in Rio, I always want to visit him. I see him very happy every time I come home, " Fonseca said. "I often play cards with him and his cousins. Every time the whole family got together, someone would always say: 'Let's go over to your house to play cards, ' and he liked it very much. He always asks me about the ATP Tour, about the matches ".

When Fonseca competes, grandfather is often more stressed than his grandson. "If the match is tense, he turns off the TV and takes deep breaths to calm down, " Fonseca said with a laugh. "Then turns it on to watch again, and if it's still difficult, he turns it off again. "

Family is always Fonseca's fulcrum. After defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the round two Roland Garros this year, he burst into tears in the post-match interview. His family was present in the stands, making this moment even more special. "A lot of emotions came up, " Fonseca said after that match. "I saw her walking down the field, she was crying. That was so emotional. Moreover, that day was my mother's birthday, so the victory was even more meaningful. "

On October 26, Fonseca's parents flew from Brazil to Switzerland, just an hour before the final match. The decision was made very quickly by the couple, before the biggest match from the beginning of Fonseca's career. They have accompanied their son in this sport for the past dozen years. "He always begged us to play with him. ", Mr. Christiano, Fonseca's father, said about the boy's early days with tennis. "At that time, the racket was too big, he could not carry it, it kept dragging on the ground, it looked very funny ".

"The first tournament Joao attended was when he was about 9 years old ", Mrs. Roberta, Fonseca's mother, recalled. "Because the tournaments took place on weekends, we told him to only choose one tournament. It chose and lost the second match. Yet as soon as he got out of the car, he said: 'Please let me go to another tournament next week!'. He loves the feeling of competition, that is his motivation.".

Fonseca's admiration is spreading around the world after his successes. His energetic playing style, courageous attacking style and ability to connect emotionally with the audience made him quickly become a phenomenon. "I think people like me because they see me playing strong attacks, daring to take risks in important moments and always fighting for every point, " the Brazilian tennis player said after winning the throne in Basel. "I like to challenge the best players in the world, because then I have nothing to lose and feel free. "

Fonseca's upward momentum promises to be unstoppable, as everyone rates his potential ceiling as the highest since the Alcaraz - Sinner generation. From now until he truly becomes the "new Djokovic", Fonseca has one wish. "Every time I attend a major tournament, I tell the coach that I hope to meet Djokovic, " he said. "I want to compete with legends, and I understand that with Novak, there probably won't be many more opportunities like that. "