🎾 A Brazilian tennis star is born?

Hello! Welcome back to the Brazil Sports newsletter, brought to you by The Brazilian Report. This week, we look at the teenage tennis phenomenon that is João Fonseca, the 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro who dazzled fans with his Australian Open debut this week.

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Tennis world goes mad for João Fonseca after electrifying Australian Open debut

It has been 24 years since a Brazilian tennis player won a Grand Slam singles title. But, if you believe tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz, the country might not have long to wait to break that dry spell.

On Tuesday, under the lights in the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, 18-year-old João Fonseca from Rio de Janeiro made his debut in a Grand Slam tournament. Given the strength of his opponent in the first round of the Australian Open — world number nine Andrey Rublev — the tie was set to be little more than a learning experience for the young Brazilian, but that perception was batted into row Z after Fonseca’s first thunderous forehand.

Not only did Fonseca spring an upset and win his Grand Slam debut, he did so without dropping a set: 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.

“What can I say? Just incredible,” gushed Carlos Alcaraz, among the favorites to win this year’s Australian Open. “He’s someone I’m going to have to be careful of. We’re going to be putting João Fonseca’s name on the list of the best players in the world, really soon.”

Thursday’s second-round defeat to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego dampened spirits ever so slightly, but the five-set manner of his elimination means Fonseca leaves Melbourne with his head held high — and after having left a large part of the tennis world completely Fonsequizado.

Fonseca is the first teenager in 23 years to debut at a Grand Slam with a win over a top-10 opponent. 

While defeating Rublev was a shock, Fonseca did not arrive at the Australian Open as a complete unknown — at least not in the tennis world. Not only did he blast his way through the tournament’s qualifying rounds without dropping a single set, but he was also fresh from winning the Next Gen ATP Finals in December.

Before Fonseca, only two tennis players in history had won the Next Gen finals at the age of 18: the young Brazilian’s new admirer Alcaraz, and current world number one Jannik Sinner.

The power of financial backing

For young players, turning pro in tennis is grueling and often financially prohibitive — especially for players in South America. While ATP and WTA events pay handsome prize money, players are responsible for covering their own airfares, accommodation, meals and their coach’s salary.

In this regard, Fonseca is an outlier. At just 18 years of age and hailing from Brazil, he rocks up to almost every tournament he plays around the world accompanied by his coach, fitness coach and physio — an advantage that even some more senior players cannot afford.

A large part of this can be explained by the unconditional support Fonseca receives from his parents, who themselves have experience in management and the financial sector. His father, Christiano Fonseca Filho, for instance, is a founding partner of Brazil’s first independent hedge fund, IP Capital.

Alongside this, Fonseca has managed to attract some crucial and highly lucrative sponsorship deals, even at his young age. None of these sponsors are more important in this regard than Swiss sports manufacturer On, famous for its colorful gradient tennis gear and for having all-time great Roger Federer as one of its biggest stakeholders.

On signed Fonseca when he was just 16, alongside women’s world number two Iga Swiatek and American breakout star Ben Shelton. 

Pure entertainment

A large part of the admiration for João Fonseca stems not from his results on court, but the way he plays tennis. He serves big and has a ripping forehand that is clearly beyond his years. During the final set of his victory against Rublev, he hit an 181 km/h forehand that broke the tournament’s record up until that point.

He hit a total of 51 winners and 14 aces in that match, along with winning 79% of his first-serve points.

All that — along with his somewhat sheepish persona — has led to comparisons with Jannik Sinner, the current men’s number one. In fact, in an interview to the ATP Tour’s official website last year, Fonseca revealed that it was the Italian ace who convinced him to go professional when the pair were hitting partners at the ATP Finals in 2023.

Game recognize game

Of course, not only Carlos Alcaraz was blown away by the 18-year-old Brazilian's exploits. Former Brazilian tennis pro Fernando Meligeni told newspaper Folha de S. Paulo that Fonseca “truly excites us.”

“We always have to be careful, because we know that a lot can happen on the circuit, but judging by his ambition, we can dream high,” he added.

Tennis great Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, declared that Fonseca “has got the goods” and that he sees a bit of himself in the youngster’s playing style. “He’s courageous, a very clean hitter, an all-around player,” he added.

“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 caliber since Guga Kuerten.”

João Fonseca had not been born when Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten won the last of his three French Open men’s singles titles in 2001 — the last Grand Slam singles triumph for any Brazilian tennis player.

Bia Haddad and João’s next steps

João Fonseca was not the only Brazilian representative at this year’s Australian Open. The country’s top player for the past few years has been Bia Haddad Maia, currently ranked 17th on the women’s circuit.

Haddad helped spark some life and excitement in Brazilian tennis in recent years, particularly with her thrilling semi-final finish in the 2023 French Open. She didn’t have the best of times in Melbourne this year, however, being knocked out by Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in the third round earlier this morning.

For Fonseca, his next major event will be the ATP 250 Buenos Aires tournament in mid-February, where he will take on a talented field that includes three top-20 players: Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti.

Other stories we’re following

💰 A study from sports marketing firm Sports Value ranks Flamengo and Palmeiras as Brazil’s two most valuable football clubs, with economic valuations of USD 871 and 706 million, respectively.

• Indeed, Palmeiras has just unveiled its new shirt sponsorship deal with betting firm Sportingbet, worth a fixed BRL 100 million (USD 16.5 million) a year, plus up to BRL 70 million in add-ons.

🏄 Brazilian surfing ace and Olympic bronze medalist Gabriel Medina is expected to miss the entire 2025 season after suffering a pectoral injury that required surgery.

🏟️ The city of São Paulo has withdrawn its bid to host the 2031 Pan American Games, having missed the deadline to present its candidacy dossier this week. The municipal government announced its support for the joint bid from Rio de Janeiro and the neighboring city of Niterói.

🤔 Betting firm Esportes da Sorte announced that it received a temporary license to operate Brazil-wide after requesting a court injunction. We covered the Esportes da Sorte imbroglio in last week’s newsletter and the potential impact on major football club Corinthians.