Novak Djokovic makes bold comparison between Joao Fonseca and his younger self

Joao Fonseca has been the talk of the tennis world and has now drawn high praise from 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. Fonseca made headlines after beating ninth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) in the first round of the season’s first hardcourt Grand Slam, which was also one of the biggest upsets in the initial stages of the tournament.

Djokovic was speaking to the media after his win over Portugal’s Jaime Faria in the second round when he was asked if he had managed to follow Fonseca’s match against Rublev.

“I just met him the first time, literally five minutes before I came into the room and I congratulated him. Not only for the win last night that I've seen, I saw the last set, but also for everything he's been doing the last six to 12 months. I've been following his rise and I just love how he plays the big points, courageous, very clean hitter, all round player,” Djokovic said. [07:43]

Having earlier praised the two youngsters - Nishesh Basavareddy and Faria - he played in his opening two matches, Djokovic went on to laud Fonseca.

“He's got the goods, definitely. And he showed that last night on a big stage to go very far. And the future is bright for him, no doubt if he keeps going this way,” he said of the Brazilian teenager.

Thiago Seyboth Wild is currently the only Brazilian player to be ranked in the top 100. Joao Fonseca’s stirring run (three wins in the qualifying round as well) at the Australian Open is likely to see him breach the top-100 mark as well.

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Brazil needs a player like Joao Fonseca, says Novak Djokovic

Brazilian fans cheer for Joao Fonseca at the 2025 Australian Open. Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic felt Joao Fonseca’s arrival on the big stage was crucial for sport to grow in Brazil. He told the media at the Australian Open:

“Brazil is a huge country, it’s super important for our sport to have a very good player coming from Brazil. I think they haven't had a player maybe of that calibre since Gustavo Kuerten. So it's exciting times for Brazil, but also the whole tennis world because such a young player and person to be able to play so well on the big stage is impressive.” [08:14]

The Serbian superstar, who is gunning for a record 11th Australian Open title, said he saw glimpses of his game in Fonseca’s.

“I've been a fan of his game. I've been watching him also last year and I think in one of my interviews for ATP I was saying that I saw some of my game there in his game, particularly when I was his age, when you were kind of carelessly going for the shots and just showing what you're capable of.”

Tennis legends Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova have also showered praise on Fonseca. The former WTA star likened him to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.