Joao Fonseca has been highlighted as a potential future rival for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz by one of the ATP’s leading coaches.
Brazilian ace Fonseca has long been recognised as a player with potential and is currently a name on everyone’s lips after his triumph at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah last week.
Aged only 18, he is one of just three players to win the Next Gen Finals as a teenager, following in the footsteps of Sinner (2019) and Alcaraz (2021).
Since their early success at the Finals, both Sinner and Alcaraz have gone on to reach world No 1 in the ATP Rankings and claim multiple Grand Slam titles.
The pair were the leading figures in the men’s game in 2024, with Sinner winning the Australian and US Open titles, while Alcaraz triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon.
The Italian and Spaniard look set to be the ATP’s dominant duo once again in 2025, though Fonseca has been backed to one day challenge them at the very top by Vincenzo Santopadre.
Formerly a coach of Matteo Berrettini and now working with Luca Van Assche, Italian Santopadre believes that Fonseca will move towards the top of the sport within the next few seasons.
“The next one [2025] won’t be the year of the trinity yet. Two more years, at least. Joao Fonseca, to name one,” he said to Tuttosport.
“[Fonseca has] Talent as far as the eye can see, a sea of talent, and he’s growing, even rapidly. He has a bit of Jannik and a bit of Carlitos.
Currently ranked 145th in the world, 18-year-old Fonseca is yet to make the main draw of a Grand Slam or win an ATP title.
However, the manner of his Next Gen Finals triumph, where he saw off older and more accomplished players such as Arthur Fils and Jakob Mensik, has only ramped up the expectations on his shoulders.
