Aryna Sabalenka believes Joao Fonseca is doing all the right things and the top-ranked WTA player is tipping the 19-year-old Brazilian sensation to soon reach the top-10 in the men's game.
In 2025, Fonseca established himself as by far one of the most talented and promising players on the Tour. It all started in early 2025, when the Brazilian wonderkid won the Canberra Challenger - then won three qualifying matches to enter the Australian Open main draw - where he annihilated world No. 16 Andrey Rublev in straight sets before falling short to Lorenzo Sonego in the second round. Since then, the 19-year-old has become a two-time ATP champion after winning Buenos Aires and Brazil.
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Fonseca, who started the year ranked at No. 113 in the world, rose 89 spots on the ATP rankings list and now enjoys a career-high ranking of No. 24 in the world.
Sabalenka's big prediction about Fonseca
He has a great team around him and hes working towards that direction. Definitely in a couple years, were gonna see him in the top 10," Sabalenka told ESPN Brasil when asked about Fonseca.
The 19-year-old's ranking rise is even more impressive when you know that he entered 2024 as the 727th-ranked player in the game.
In a recent interview with Brazilian media, Fonseca's coach Guilherme Teixeira described the Brazilian's rise as "frightening" and also noted that they would look to do even bigger things in 2026.
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When we look at the numbers, going from No. 700 to No. 24, the truth is that it represents an almost frightening leap. I confess we havent paid much attention to the ranking, but at this point in his career, it is almost inevitable. Although he is already in the top 25, what keeps driving us is reaching the next step," Teixeira said.
In October, Fonseca said that his big goal for the end of the season was to secure a seeding at the Australian Open. By winning Basel and entering the top-30, the 19-year-old is set to be a seed at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
