João Fonseca's Australian Open first-round win over Andrey Rublev shows why he's a star of the future

Any tennis fan who watched João Fonseca's first-round match at the Australian Open might have mistaken him for a seasoned professional. Of course, Fonseca's youthful face and energetic presence on the court made it clear that the Brazilian player was still a teenager.

However, the 18-year-old's clean straight-sets victory over world No. 9 Andrey Rublev suggests that he has already joined the ranks of the tennis elite. While Fonseca is not yet at his peak, his progress in 2024 indicates that he will be a strong contender in Grand Slam events in the coming years. Last month, when he was ranked 145th in the world, he burst onto the international stage by winning the ATP Next Gen Finals, a tournament for the world's top-ranked male players under 20.

On Tuesday night, in his 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) victory over Rublev on Margaret Court Arena, Fonseca achieved some "firsts" in his young career. It was not only his first victory over a top-ten player, but it also came in his first appearance at a Grand Slam event. "Everything is new for me... I'm not the favorite," Fonseca said at his press conference at Melbourne Park.

Fonseca continued, "I try to go on the court thinking, 'Okay, I'm an 18-year-old, and he's a top-ten player. I'm going to do my best here.' Of course, I have confidence. I know I can win, but there's no pressure on myself. That's what I want to do." Fonseca's confidence should not be mistaken for arrogance; it merely demonstrates his ambition. His motivation to do well at Melbourne Park comes from the fact that he had to go through three rounds of qualifying to earn his spot in the main draw.

Just two weeks ago, Fonseca was still grinding it out at a second-tier Challenger event in Canberra, which he won without dropping a set. His ranking will significantly improve from its current 112th after his second-round victory over Italian Lorenzo Sonego, but Fonseca does not want to stop there. He said, "I think when I came here, my first goal was to qualify for the main draw. Of course, my expectations are higher now. I want more."

He added, "Of course, I am very happy with my performance and the victory today, but I am already thinking about the next match. It will be a great match against a very great player. I want more. I think that's the champion's mentality. So, I'm just thinking about the next match." Unsurprisingly, one of Fonseca's idols is former player Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion from Brazil. Roger Federer is another role model for Fonseca, although he admits that the Swiss star's signature one-handed backhand is not to his liking.

Fonseca said, "I've been watching Roger play since I was a kid. Of course, I think everyone wants to play like him. But even when I was a kid, I tried a one-handed backhand. I tried it for a week, and then my elbow felt a little uncomfortable, and then I said, 'I'm going back to the two-handed backhand.'" Fonseca's journey at the Australian Open will continue on Thursday when he faces Sonego.