The unlimited potential of Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca

Long aft the chants of his sanction had died out, Joao Fonseca remained connected the clay astatine Court 7.

Armed with a achromatic marker and with his match-worn shot headdress present connected backwards, and abruptly looking similar an 18-year-old again aft a lucifer successful which helium appeared good beyond his years, Fonseca posed for selfies with dozens of fans. He signed autographs -- connected tennis balls, hats, shirts, thing that was enactment successful beforehand of him -- for children and adults. When helium was done with each the fans connected 1 broadside of the court, helium made his mode to the other, seemingly acceptable connected reaching everyone who stayed.

He smiled wide passim and looked similar a teen simply thrilled to beryllium astatine his archetypal French Open.

But his play during his first-round lucifer connected Tuesday told a antithetic story. During the clash against Hubert Hurkacz, the tournament's No. 30 effect and a erstwhile Wimbledon semifinalist, Fonseca was dominant. He took power aboriginal -- breaking Hurkacz successful the 3rd crippled of the opening acceptable -- and near small to accidental from there.

In beforehand of a vocal assemblage packed into each disposable spot of the 1,500-capacity court, with fans waving Brazilian flags and lining up connected the apical railings and hundreds much waiting extracurricular successful hopes of glimpsing a peek, Fonseca proved wherefore he's agelong been considered tennis' adjacent superstar. He defeated Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 successful conscionable an hr and 40 minutes.

While Fonseca told reporters connected Tuesday that simply reaching the 2nd circular was "just a imagination travel true," his lucifer against Pierre-Hugues Herbert connected Thursday volition present beryllium 1 of the astir coveted seats astatine the tourney this week. And each lucifer Fonseca plays, each highlight-making changeable and each triumph implicit a top-ranked opponent, volition lone proceed to propel the prodigious teen to caller heights of fame. But helium sounded acceptable for each of it.

"The expectations are going to come. People are going to talk, comparison [me] with different people, different players," Fonseca said aft his triumph implicit Hurkacz. "For my mentality, it's conscionable bully to beryllium with bully radical that tin assistance maine to enactment with a bully mentality that I need. I request to bash the champion that I tin [to] amended my routines, enactment with bully people, enactment steadfast and not focusing connected the expectations.

"I'm managing to bash precise well, but sometimes the unit is going to come. It's normal. You request to woody with it."

FONSECANON 💥#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/tEBHbA3F2F

Fonseca's heroics for the Court 7 assemblage connected Tuesday were thing caller for those who person followed him connected his little but thrilling travel connected the tennis scene.

Fonseca officially enactment the satellite connected announcement successful 2023 by winning the US Open boys rubric and past claiming the satellite No. 1 inferior ranking the aforesaid year. He became the archetypal Brazilian subordinate successful past to extremity the twelvemonth with the apical ranking, drafting the attraction of the sport's biggest names. He was asked to be the year-end ATP Finals arsenic a hitting spouse for the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev.

Just 3 months later, Fonseca recorded his archetypal triumph connected the ATP Tour -- a head-turning 6-0, 6-4 triumph implicit the seventh-seeded Arthur Fils astatine Fonseca's hometown Rio Open successful which helium had been attending arsenic a instrumentality since aboriginal childhood. He went connected to scope the quarterfinals of the 500-level event, with his matches passim the week drafting soccer-like crowds. His ranking soared. Initially slated to play astatine the University of Virginia starting successful the autumn of 2024, Fonseca decided to forego his collegiate eligibility and crook professional.

The excitement astir him continued to build.

Fonseca had been the archetypal antheral calved successful 2006 to triumph connected tour, and helium continued to rack up galore different "youngest" distinctions arsenic the play progressed.

He won his archetypal Challenger rubric successful August -- the youngest subordinate to triumph astatine that level past play -- and steadily continued his ascent up the rankings. By the extremity of 2024 helium was successful Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the Next Generation ATP Finals, featuring the apical eight-ranked men 20 years and younger. Fonseca was the youngest subordinate successful the field, and the lowest-ranked astatine No. 145. He won.

While fewer others had immoderate doubt, the triumph was validating for Fonseca.

"It was ace important for maine to spot that I'm connected the close path," Fonseca aboriginal told ESPN. "To beryllium playing against the apical 8 champion guys nether 20, conscionable to spot however bully they are, it was large to beryllium capable to triumph the rubric and a ace chill experience."

And adjacent his far-more established peers couldn't fell their admiration.

"I personally judge it's conscionable the opening of him rising up successful the rankings and showing his existent actual potential," Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2021 French Open finalist, told reporters astatine the United Cup the adjacent week. "I deliberation we're going to spot large things from him successful the adjacent fewer years."

Fonseca made bully connected Tsitsipas' assertion conscionable weeks later. After winning his 3 qualifying matches, Fonseca made his eagerly awaited large main gully debut astatine the Australian Open. In his first-round match, against the No. 9 effect and 10-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Andrey Rublev, Fonseca made definite his ceremonial instauration to the tennis satellite was a memorable 1 with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory.

The assemblage -- galore of whom were wearing Brazilian shot jerseys -- roared successful ovation pursuing lucifer constituent and helium celebrated similar a seasoned veteran. He aboriginal said it was his archetypal clip playing successful a "huuuuuge stadium."

He mislaid his adjacent lucifer successful a five-set conflict to Lorenzo Sonego but helium cracked the apical 100 pursuing his show successful Melbourne.

And his momentum didn't halt there. In his adjacent tournament, Fonseca went from a prodigy brimming with imaginable to a prima of the contiguous with the archetypal ATP rubric of his burgeoning vocation astatine the Argentina Open. He became the youngest Brazilian subordinate successful past to triumph connected the circuit and the fourth-youngest ATP subordinate to triumph a rubric successful this century, down lone Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz.

While Fonseca has ever had large goals for himself, adjacent helium was amazed by conscionable however rapidly the results had come.

"I was hoping I could spell this far, but not this fast," Fonseca told ESPN portion sitting successful the player's lounge astatine Indian Wells a fewer weeks later. "I was moving hard for this, but yeah, this has been faster than [even] I could imagine."

During Nadal's property league connected Sunday pursuing an on-court ceremonial honoring him, the 14-time French Open champion was asked astir conscionable 1 existent player. It wasn't Alcaraz oregon Iga Swiatek, the reigning champions who some were successful attendance astatine the ceremony, nor immoderate of the different favorites to triumph the 2025 title, but instead, Fonseca.

"He's a precise young subordinate that started his vocation doing very, precise well," Nadal said. "He has a large aboriginal successful front. I privation him each the precise best. I met him a mates of times. Seems similar helium has a precise bully enactment with his household and radical adjacent to him. He's precise good educated. I truly anticipation that helium has a large aboriginal successful front."

And the question to Nadal was hardly an anomaly. It feels similar each apical subordinate has been asked astir Fonseca lately. Coco Gauff, herself a caller teenage phenom, proclaimed she's been "on the Fonseca bid since early." Alcaraz, different chap erstwhile teen prodigy-turned-superstar, said Fonseca's "potential is huge" and praised his "really, truly high" level.

Even Novak Djokovic, the 24-time large champion who was erstwhile an up-and-coming prima himself, has been impressed by what he's seen.

"He seems to beryllium handling [the expectations and attention] precise well," Djokovic said. "I mean, I don't cognize him personally truthful well, but from what I person seen connected the court, not lone the mode helium plays but the mode helium behaves, and radical astir him, seems similar determination is simply a precise bully level of equilibrium and professionalism and devotion, similar what we person seen for the past mates years with Alcaraz. He has the imaginable to beryllium truly a superstar of this game. No uncertainty astir it."

For Fonseca, inactive conscionable 18, it's been surreal astatine times to perceive players he's admired for overmuch of his beingness cognize who helium is, fto unsocial talk truthful highly astir him. He's inactive getting utilized to seeing players similar Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur adjacent to him connected the signifier tribunal but admits sometimes it each conscionable doesn't consciousness real. His matches person drawn huge, often near-capacity crowds astir the globe, often with hordes of passionate Brazilian fans, implicit with flags and yellow-and-green gear. The ambiance was truthful electrifying astatine the Miami Open, successful which helium reached the 3rd round, Fonseca aboriginal remarked helium felt similar helium "was successful Brazil."

On Tuesday, helium estimated astir "80% of the assemblage was Brazilian" connected Court 7 -- and called it "super nice."

He inactive can't wholly judge it erstwhile idiosyncratic stops him to instrumentality a picture, but it's becoming much mean to him with each tourney -- and he's ever blessed to bash it.

"Three years ago, I was the kid asking for the picture," Fonseca said. "I cognize what it means. It's a imagination travel existent that radical are present inspired by me."

Despite the increasing tornado of enthusiasm astir him, Fonseca and his household are trying to support it arsenic mean and relaxed arsenic they tin for the clip being. While agencies similar Roger Federer's Team8 person famously tried to motion him, he's declined to person a ceremonial cause for now. He alternatively relies connected his parents -- his begetter Christiano is the laminitis and CEO of a Brazilian hedge money -- to play that relation for him.

He brought connected Franco Davin, who guided Juan Martin del Potro to US Open triumph successful 2009, arsenic a subordinate of his squad earlier this spring, but Fonseca's superior manager is inactive Guilherme Teixeira, who helium archetypal met and started grooming with arsenic a 12-year-old astatine the Rio de Janeiro Country Club. Fonseca's interior ellipse is tiny and helium likes it that way. Those astir him support grounded and focused connected staying the course.

Like astir young players, particularly those who person already achieved truthful much, Fonseca has large dreams for his career. But helium insists he's lone reasoning astir the adjacent steps, knowing those volition beryllium what get him to his eventual goals. Right present he's focused connected making the main gully for each large this play and improving his ranking capable truthful helium tin play successful arsenic galore Masters 1000-level and 500-level tournaments arsenic possible.

He'll person a accidental to scope the 3rd circular astatine a Grand Slam for the archetypal clip with his adjacent lucifer against Herbert, a French journeyman astir doubly his age, connected Thursday. Tuesday's triumph volition apt determination him to a caller career-high ranking of astir No. 57, and different triumph would propel him conscionable extracurricular the apical 50. Jack Draper, the No. 5 seed, oregon beloved Frenchman Gael Monfils would await successful the Round of 32.

Fonseca admitted helium has struggled astatine times this outpouring with the value of the outer pressure. He said it made him consciousness tense connected the tribunal and took distant immoderate of his enjoyment. But helium says he's recovered a mode past that and is present acceptable to conscionable admit his clip successful Paris. However agelong it is. And nary substance however galore radical are watching and projecting connected what it means for his future.

"Now I'm feeling precise comfortable," Fonseca said. "I'm feeling precise blessed connected court. Happy and playing good."