Brazilian Tennis Star Who Made It at a Young Age – When Carlos Alcaraz was 10, the world was getting a glimpse of his future. At that age, Babolat and other big racket companies often start outfitting talented young players and praising them, placing high hopes on their potential. At Les Petit As, the prestigious under-14 tournament in France, any potential buyer who can show off their playing ability, if not signed, is likely to be noticed by agents approaching their parents.
Brazilian Tennis Star Who Made It at a Young Age
oragoo – In that context, picking Joao Fonseca, a laid-back Brazilian teenager with a 140 mph (225 km/h) serve and wavy blond hair, seems like a no-brainer.
Keep in mind that at 18, Fonseca became the youngest player to reach the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, an event for the top-ranked male players aged 20 and under. At 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm), Fonseca is in the “Goldilocks zone” — not too tall, not too short — among players who have won multiple Grand Slam titles in the past decade.
Fonseca idolizes Roger Federer, which is one of the main reasons he signed with the Swiss sportswear company, his main sponsor. The young Rio de Janeiro player signed with Federer two years ago, when he was just 16.
“They said the future of tennis was going to be me, Iga (Swiatek) and Ben Shelton,” he recalled in an interview last month. “Of course, I said yes.”
Perhaps Fonseca’s business acumen goes hand in hand with his prodigious tennis talent. Two years ago, On’s stock was worth $17.36, and now it’s hovering around $55. His contract also allows him to travel with a full-time physical therapist. Plus, he has a practice court partnership with Shelton, who is just 22 and competing in the same tournaments.
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When they first met at the 2023 Majorca Championships, Shelton noticed that Fonseca was a new member of Team On and offered to train with him the next day.
“I’m a nobody and you want to train with me?” Fonseca asked curiously.
However, the situation has changed. He had just won the junior title at the US Open in September 2023, becoming the first Brazilian player to reach the junior No. 1 ranking. That same February, Fonseca defeated Arthur Fils 6-0, 6-4 in the first round of the Rio Open, which at the time felt like a major setback for Fils, now ranked 20th in the world and a favorite heading into the Next Gen tournament that began on December 18.
The two players met in the final match of the opening day. Fonseca managed to beat Fils in another best-of-four set before showing his veteran serving skills in a tense final set. He then went on to play Thien, leading in the third set but having to fight back to win a point. He was eventually eliminated in the semifinals.
The first defeat in Brazil was a bittersweet one for Fils. Fonseca began his career ranked 727th in the world and has now climbed to 145th, just one game away from earning his first Grand Slam invitation in New York in August, after falling just three games short of Eliot Spizzirri, four years his senior, in the final round of qualifying.
Joao Fonseca continues to make strides, showing promise in international tennis.
Looking at Fonseca’s superior skill, raw strength and confident attitude on and off the court, it’s clear he has similarities to world number one Giannick Sinner. Fonseca glides around the court like a flywheel, ready to pound his opponents to the hilt as he relies on aggressive play, both from attacking positions and with both hands on the line. His ability to adapt is also evident.
At the Madrid Open, Fonseca faces American Alex Michelsen, a fellow under-20 competitor. In the match, Fonseca dominated the midcourt rallies with his brilliant technique, forcing Michelsen to create corners and receive every short ball thrown his way. As a result, Michelsen was unable to hold on and was defeated 6-0 in the third set.
“He is a player who performs well under pressure and has an incredible ability to adapt to different situations,” his coach, Guillerme Teixeira, said via email. Teixeira has coached him independently since he was 11, while his mother, Roberta, has watched his talent grow.
All of this effort, including reaching the Next Gen Finals, is no guarantee of future success. While Alcaraz and Sinner have reached the pinnacle of tennis, the tournament also features young talents like Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Kasper Ruud, all of whom are Grand Slam finalists, with Medvedev winning the US Open in 2021. Many of them have never come close to that feat despite being part of the elite.
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Daniil Medvedev is an enigma in the ever-evolving men’s game.
Fonseca is joined on this year’s team by Phils and Luca Van Assche of France, Americans Alex Michelsen, Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy, and Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic and China’s Shang Juncheng, better known as Jerry Shang in the tennis world.
It’s hard to say for sure if any of them will make it to the Grand Slam finals, given the ever-changing nature of tennis. Youngsters with a “rebellious” spirit may shine at tournaments like “Les Petits”. However, a more cautious approach to teenage characters is often safer. Brazil has suffered from a shortage of talented male tennis players since Gustavo ‘Guga’ Kuerten, the three-time French Open champion and former world number one.
For decades, players from Brazil and other South American countries have largely grown up on red clay. In this situation, South American players face a greater challenge than their Spanish counterparts, who have easier access to a variety of surfaces and opponents. The tendency of young people to choose football as a more attractive alternative, especially with the strong influence of the World Cup trophy and iconic figures such as Ronaldo Nazario and Neymar, is a major reason why interest in tennis often declines.