João Fonseca has been tipped as the “new challenger” for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz amid the pair’s domination of men’s tennis in recent months.
World No 1 Sinner defeated Alcaraz in four sets to win his first Wimbledon title last weekend, just five weeks after they had met in the French Open final.
On that occasion, it was world No 2 Alcaraz who prevailed, though Grand Slam success is something both have become accustomed to.
The pair have combined to win the last seven straight major tournaments between them, one of the greatest Grand Slam men’s singles duopolies of the Open era.
The last male player to win a Grand Slam title outside of Sinner and Alcaraz was Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open, though the 24-year-old has reached just one major final since then.
Sinner and Alcaraz have moved clear of the rest of the field with former potential challengers, such as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, falling down in the ATP Rankings in recent months.
With world No 3 Alexander Zverev also struggling to get over the Grand Slam hurdle, all eyes are on who could rival the Italian and the Spaniard in the future.
Rising stars such as Jakub Mensik and Arthur Fils have been tipped in the past, though teen star Fonseca has consistently attracted attention.
And, speaking on The Tennis, former ATP Tour player Luke Saville has tipped the Brazilian to rival the ‘New Two’ in the future.
He said: “I feel like they’re [Alcaraz and Sinner] clearly the two best in the men’s game right now, and it’s just great to see when they both go at it – amazing tennis.
“I think everyone’s looking at Fonseca to be the next challenger to those two. It’s Carlos and Jannik and then there’s daylight, at the moment.
“I feel like Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas a few years back, they were kind of the three everyone was looking at.
“Still Zverev, he’s made a bunch of finals and just hasn’t quite broken through for that maiden Slam title.”
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Fonseca is still only 18 years old, but there is plenty to like about the Brazilian’s game and potential.
The teen star already has one of the biggest and most dangerous forehands in the men’s game, and has consistently moved up the ATP Rankings in 2025.
Fonseca came through qualifying to reach the second round of the Australian Open in January, famously beating ninth seed Andrey Rublev in his first-ever Grand Slam main draw match.
The Brazilian has since gone on to reach the third round of Roland Garros, beating Hubert Hurkacz in round one, and also made round three at Wimbledon.
His showing at the All England Club propelled Fonseca into the top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time, with the 18-year-old ranked 48th in the world.
Fonseca is already an ATP Tour titleist, triumphing at the Argentina Open back in February.
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