On January 27th, 18-year-old João Fonseca officially became the youngest Brazilian to make the list of the top 100 tennis players, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Fonseca rose to 99th place in the rankings after his performance at the Australian Open, his first major tournament. He is now the highest-ranked Brazilian player after Thiago Wild (76th).

The Australian Open was the first Grand Slam for Fonseca, who faced Andrey Rublev, the top ninth in the world, in the first round. Though Fonseca was not the favorite, he delighted the crowd by beating his opponent before being eliminated in the following round. At the end of the tournament, the winner in the men’s singles category was Italian Jannik Sinner.

Fonseca was born in Rio de Janeiro and started playing tennis at the age of 11. He played futsal before tennis but had to switch sports due to an injury. He also enjoyed practicing other sports, including swimming and judo.  

In tennis, Fonseca quickly moved up the ranks. Between 2022 and 2023, he excelled in the main youth championships, including the Junior Davis Cup and the US Open Junior Championships. He reached the top of the world ranking for tennis players up to 18 years-old, an unprecedented feat for a Brazilian.

In 2024, when he was 17, he reached the quarterfinals of the Rio Open, the biggest tournament in South America, and became the fifth youngest tennis player in the history of the ATP to achieve this.

Glossary:

Grand Slam: The four most important annual tennis competitions, which are the Australian Open (Australia), Roland Garros (France), Wimbledon (England), and the US Open (United States). 

Sources: Globo Esporte, CNN Brasil, Exame, Veja, and UOL

Ixi! Você bateu no paywall!

Ainda não é assinante? Assine agora e tenha acesso ilimitado ao conteúdo do Joca.

Assinante? Faça Login

Voltar para a home

Ou faça sua assinatura e tenha acesso a todo o conteúdo do Joca

Assine