João Fonseca wraps up his 2025 season, but did it live up to the hype?

João Fonseca soaks in his maiden Basel 500 title. (Getty/Fabrice Coffrini)

Brazilian teenager João Fonseca has concluded his first season on the ATP Tour. A season that was one of the most hyped in recent memory – thanks mainly to the way he finished off last season, and blasted out of the 2025 gates.

He recently announced via social media: "Wrapping up the season incredibly proud of the work accomplished. So grateful for everything that happened this year, full of experiences and lessons that I'll carry into the next steps of my career. Thank you to my team for their dedication, to my family and sponsors for their support, and to everyone who cheered me on. It's just the beginning."

If we go back to 2024, Fonseca had some chatter surrounding him, but from August through to December, his record was relatively uninspiring, at 10-7, predominantly on the Challenger Tour.

By entering the code TFS2025, you will receive 15% off the RRP on all non-sale items when you shop online at www.racquetworld.com.au

The needle began moving at the NextGen Finals in Jeddah during the final event of the year. Fonseca ripped through the field to go undefeated. But there was no time to celebrate. He was straight on a plane heading to Australia (Canberra to be exact).

This is where things really heated up. Without dropping a set, Fonseca cruised through the field to pick up his second ATP Challenger title in dominating fashion.

With his next stop being Melbourne for his first Australian Open qualifying event, the expectations were starting to grow. One could've been forgiven if there was a slight letdown after nine straight wins. There was no such thing. Some of the biggest crowds qualifying week has ever seen were drawn to his matches. Spectators standing four or five deep, trying to catch a glimpse of the 'next big thing' in tennis.

Fonseca didn't just rise to the occasion; he grabbed it by the throat. Dropping just 12 games in three matches, he suddenly found himself on Margaret Court Arena in a match-up against 9th 9th-seeded Andrey Rublev. I'm not sure if there has ever been a more anticipated or watched first round match between a top seed and a qualifier. More unusual was the fact that Fonseca was given a huge chance of winning. Few people could've predicted what happened next, though.

With his (already) trademark blistering forehand, Fonseca took down Rublev in straight sets, and in doing so, set social media alight. The Brazilian teen had been anointed as the newest member of the 'Big Three', alongside Sinner and Alcaraz.

His confidence in his own ability was already there for all to see.

"I'm an 18-year-old guy, he's a top 10 guy. Of course, I'm confident. I know I can win, but no pressure on myself," he said.

"I played such a good match. I'm very happy with myself, very proud of the way that I fought, and that I stayed mentally on every point."

Of course, the letdown would come two days later against Lorenzo Sonego, in a tense five-set battle. But the die was cast. He would carry a certain weight of expectation from that point on.

The next stop on his journey would take him back to South America for the Golden swing, where, if he thought he received attention in Melbourne, it would be stepped up to a whole new level in Buenos Aires.

The Brazil/Argentina sports rivalry is generally embedded in football, but at least for this week, tennis joined the party. Having made his way inside the top 100 for the first time following the Australian Open, Fonseca made a mess of the Argentines, defeating four of them. These included three top 50 players in Tomas Etcheverry, Mariano Navone, and Francisco Cerúndolo in a final that oozed poise from such a young man in a hostile environment.

Speaking with British journalist Simon Cambers before Wimbledon, Fonseca spoke about his breakthrough in Buenos Aires:

"That was my biggest title, and it was the most important of my career. I won against four Argentinians in Argentina, which is very difficult because the crowd there is loud, and I needed to reverse a lot of situations. Navone had match points against me, and he served for the match," Fonseca explained.

"The week was super important for my maturity and for my experience because, at that time, people were thinking: 'Ok, this guy is good, he's talented, he can hit the ball hard, but let's see if he has mentality and physicality.' I won because of these two things. It was important for myself to understand I was ready to fight until the last point."

Fonseca had just earned his first ATP Tour title. He was now sitting at No.68 in the world, having basically halved his ranking within the first six weeks of the year. According to plenty on the social media channels, top 10 was on the cards this year.

However, those who know tennis also know that it's almost impossible to keep up that kind of form for long stretches, at that age. Fonseca travelled to his home tournament of Rio, yet those expecting a repeat of Buenos Aires would've gone home disappointed, with a round one loss to Alexandre Müller.

Moving to the US hard courts, he would reach the second round of Indian Wells, but bounce back with another title. This time, the biggest Challenger event on the Tour – the 175 event in Phoenix, where he defeated four top 100 players, including Kei Nishikori, and then Alexander Bublik in the final. This would boost his ranking up to another career high of No.60.

The middle stretch of the marathon, that is, the ATP Tennis Tour, wouldn't bring the extreme highs that the first few months brought, yet Fonseca was able to consolidate and slowly improve his ranking. All the while, building on his explosive game and gaining valuable experience.

His best results would actually come at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where he reached the third round. At Roland Garros, he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the opening match, Pierre Hughes-Herbert in the following round, before running into a red-hot Jack Draper.

While on the grass courts at the All-England Club, he would go down in a tough four-setter to Nicolas Jarry, after overcoming Jacob Fearnley and Jenson Brooksby in the early rounds. It was another important step, which Fonseca was quick to point out on his social channels.

"Another positive Grand Slam, full of learning and experiences that I’ll carry with me through the rest of the season. Let’s keep pushing for more. Until next year, Wimbledon," he wrote.

The North American swing didn't bring any outstanding results, yet the expectation never went away. With swathes of Brazilian fans attending his every match, plus the thousands of supporters from other countries cheering every point, Fonseca was beginning to understand the gravity of what he had entered into.

After losing in the second round of the US Open, Fonseca made it known what his goal was before the end of the year. He wanted to avoid the top seeds early on at the majors.

"There is a goal for me to be [a] seeded player in the next Grand Slams," he confirmed.

Clearly, one of the personal highlights for Fonseca came with an invitation to the Laver Cup, where he was able to meet the great Roger Federer for the first time and spend priceless moments soaking up the experience of some of the greatest players in the sport.

Fonseca admitted as much, saying: "[It is] an amazing opportunity to be around great players, great captains. I'm going to love it for sure. Playing tennis is an individual game, and when do you have this opportunity to play as a team?" he contemplated. "Hopefully, Laver Cup will teach me a lot."

It's also no secret that Fonseca's biggest idol growing up was Federer. For that reason alone, there was never any doubt the cameras would be around when the two met for the first time.

"We had a nice chat, about 10 minutes, and we talked a little bit about life, tour, how it is to live in Brazil and be far from home," Fonseca told CNN.

"He's a super nice guy. You see these amazing players, these legends, as untouchable (and think) this guy is different. But no, he's just a human being like us, super cool. It was a very important moment; it's going to be in my mind for my whole life."

Throughout the season, though, it wasn't all positive vibes from the tennis public. While there wasn't a lot of negativity towards Fonseca, there were plenty who were willing to suggest the hype around him might not be as warranted as what he received.

The reason for a lot of this talk was two-fold. One, Fonseca hadn't really pushed deep into a tournament for a few months – which, for anyone else, wouldn't be a big deal, but with the way he started the year, expectations were set drastically high.

Secondly, though, another teenager was moving up the rankings at almost the same rate – Learner Tien. For portions of the season, the young American was ranked higher, and for the majority of the year, they were ranked almost side by side.

Tien, currently ranked No.39, off a high of No.36, has also had a stellar season, starting at 120th in the world. Off the back of results including a fourth round berth at the Australian Open, Canadian Masters and Shanghai Masters, plus multiple quarter-final appearances, Tien has shown that his future remains extremely bright.

However, great players find a way to turn a deep run at a tournament into titles. Fonseca had proven he could do that already earlier in the year... and would do so once more.

Following the Davis Cup, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, and the Laver Cup, Fonseca and his camp decided to skip the Asian swing. While some may have questioned that schedule, it turned out to be a masterstroke.

Taking a travel break before the last couple of events, possibly gave him an edge over a weary field, as the tour rolled into the European indoor swing.

Fonseca arrived at the Basel 500, where his idol, Federer, had owned the Swiss event for a decade. Perhaps it was that inspiration, or perhaps it was the freshness of only playing four matches in two months.

Whatever it was, it worked.

Despite being the beneficiary of a second round walkover against Tomas Machac, Fonseca looked every bit the player he was in January, defeating four top 50 players, including Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in an epic final.

Davidovich Fokina heaped praise on Fonseca after losing his fifth ATP Final, and fourth of the season.

"You played unbelievable tennis today. You are the person of this sport. You have a bright future for sure. You're gonna be the next Nole to beat Carlos and Jannik for sure," he said.

The Masters Zone with Tim Prince delves into the ITF Masters Tour for those aged 30+ to 90+ with the latest results in Australia and around the world with special guests - The First Serve Podcasts

In his winner's speech, Fonseca displayed plenty of love to his family and to his legions of fans.

"To my family, I'm gonna talk, but I can't look at you guys. They believed in me since I was a kid. It's a pleasure to be your kid. It's a pleasure. We keep going. It's the first ATP 500, but not gonna be the last hopefully," he said.

"I watched on TV Roger playing this tournament since I was young and winning 10 times, if I'm not mistaken. It's a pleasure playing on this court and playing here for the first time. For sure, it won't be the last time. It's crazy how everywhere I go, there are some Brazilians cheering and calling my name. It's a pleasure representing this amazing country. Thanks so much to everyone who came and cheered for me today."

Following Basel, Fonseca would go on to Paris, taking down Denis Shapovalov, before Karen Khachanov would get the best of him, in what would be his final match of the season.

Fonseca finishes his year ranked No.24, easily within the seeding range for the 2026 Australian Open. He is the 24th youngest player in history to make his debut into the top 30, at 19 years and two months. It's fair to say he’s in good company, with Federer, Djokovic, and Jim Courier also reaching the top 20 at the same age.

It will be an interesting watch to see if Fonseca can go on with his form in 2026 and push for the top 10. His 2025 season stats would suggest his trajectory is moving upwards. Fast.

João Fonseca's 2025 season:

57 Matches

40 Wins

4 titles

ATP 500 Basel

ATP 250 Buenos Aires

CH 175 Phoenix

CH 125 Canberra

1 top 10 win (Rublev)

4 top 20 wins

10 top 30 wins

6 Main draw Grand Slam wins

7 Masters 1000 wins

2 Davis Cup wins

Tennis Coaches Australia, coaches supporting coaches, your voice, your network, stronger together. For all enquiries and membership details, go to tenniscoachesaustralia.au