How soon can Joao Fonseca step up to face Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?

Joao Fonseca has been showing steady progress in his second season on the ATP Tour.

The Brazilian teenager had an impressive debut season in 2025, picking up two titles and reaching a career-high ranking of 24th in the world.

He had a slow start to 2026 but has picked up form since then, most notably making the quarterfinals at Monte-Carlo – his best finish at an ATP Masters 1000 event so far.

Fonseca’s rise hasn’t gone unnoticed. Many have tipped him as the player most likely to break up the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Rick Macci shares his view on Joao Fonseca’s future

When asked by TSH Tennis about how long it might be before Fonseca is regularly challenging Alcaraz and Sinner for majors, Macci said: “When I saw him win the U.S. Open juniors, but the way he did it, even though the backhand was still a little dodgy, I saw that he had some completeness to his game.

“His forehand was nuclear, so that means he can play through you. Since he won the juniors, that means mentally there’s something there.

“But to answer your question, I’ll go out on a limb and say next year at this time, he’ll definitely be top five; he could even be number three.

“Listen, he’s the real deal. Once again, he’s not a generational talent like Alcaraz because Alcaraz has that turbo speed on another level – and Alcaraz has everything. He has everything.”

Macci added: “But Fonseca can definitely go in there and battle, and he will definitely beat both of them before it’s all said and done. But will he win a Grand Slam? 100%. He’ll win multiple Grand Slams.”

Joao Fonseca’s early Grand Slam results

There is a general belief among fans that Fonseca will eventually become a Grand Slam champion, although he hasn’t yet had a notable run at a major.

He first appeared at the Australian Open in 2025, grabbing attention by upsetting ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the opening round.

However, his time in Melbourne was short-lived as he fell to Lorenzo Sonego in the second round, with the Italian edging him out over five sets.

Fonseca then reached the third round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon before being knocked out in the second round of the US Open. His follow-up appearance at Melbourne this year ended early with a first-round loss to Eliot Spizzirri.

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