Joao Fonseca grows in popularity with over 500,000 new followers on social media after Australian Open 1R heroics

Joao Fonseca’s incredible win against Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open 2025 has earned him over half a million Instagram followers. Fonseca’s rapid social media growth results from his 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) over the ninth-seeded Rublev on his Grand Slam debut on Tuesday, January 14.

It was one of the biggest upsets in the men’s draw. Although the Brazilian teenager was expected to put up a tough fight against Rublev, not many saw him easing away to a straight-sets win against the former World No. 5.

What made the win all the more impressive was the fact that Joao Fonseca, 18, earned his spot in the Australian Open main draw after breezing through three rounds of qualifying. This meant he played three matches more than Rublev coming into their contest, but there were no signs of fatigue as the 2023 ITF World Junior champion dispatched the higher-ranked Russian.

At the time of publishing, Fonseca had 527,000 followers on Instagram.

Joao Fonseca's Instagram page has over half a million followers. (https://www.instagram.com/joaoffonseca)

The young Brazilian will next face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the Melbourne Major. Sonego had beaten Swiss star Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets in the opening round.

---

How Roger Federer inspired Joao Fonseca

Talking after his win against Rublev at the Margaret Court Arena, Joao Fonseca revealed how a piece of advice from the great Roger Federer had helped him get here.

“It’s a bit unfair. Like Roger says… talent isn’t enough. So I put a lot of hard work. Me and my team know that,” Fonseca said in the on-court interview.

The result of that hard work is visible as Joao Fonseca has been amongst the best upcoming players on the men’s circuit. He had a breakthrough 2024 season as he won the Next Generation ATP Finals to establish himself as the ‘next big thing’ in tennis.

He also claimed his first Challenger title - the Lexington Challenger - last year and began 2025 on a winning note by clinching the Canberra Tennis International Challenger on January 4.

Fonseca’s incredible rise through the ranks has earned him praise from many, with German legend Boris Becker leading the charts. The six-time Grand Slam champion had named Joao Fonseca his “dark horse” for the Australian Open 2025 and had said he was a big fan of the young Brazilian since they met 18 months ago.