Joao Fonseca announced himself as he shocked Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
Joao Fonseca has become the talk of the town in Melbourne after causing a big upset at the .
The 18-year-old qualifier in straight sets as he made his Grand Slam main draw debut on Tuesday.
The tennis world was already aware of Fonseca’s potential, and top players like and have taken notice.
Despite being ranked outside the top 100 and never competing in a Grand Slam before, everyone knew something special was on the horizon and tuned in to watch Fonseca upset Rublev in the first round.
Speaking on Wednesday, Djokovic revealed that he spent a year watching Fonseca’s rise and watched the final set of his Aussie Open match but didn’t get a chance to meet him until now.
“I just met him first time, like, literally five minutes before I came into the room. I congratulated him not only on the win last night that I’ve seen, the last set I’ve seen, but also everything he has been doing the last six to 12 months,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion said.
“I’ve been following his rise, and I just love how he plays the big points. Courageous, very clean hitter, all-around player.”
Novak Djokovic revealed he’d been following Joao Fonseca’s rise for a year (Image: Getty)
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The world No. 7 even confessed that Fonseca reminded him of his younger self and was happy to stick his neck out to predict big things for the 18-year-old. He continued: “I’ve been a fan of his game.
“I’ve been watching him also last year. I think in one of my interviews for ATP I was saying I see some of my game there in his game, particularly when I was his age when you’re kind of carelessly going for the shots, just showing what you’re capable of.
“I mean, he’s got the goods definitely. He showed that last night on a big stage to go very far. The future is bright for him, no doubt, if he keeps going this way.”
Djokovic isn’t the only one backing Fonseca to get to the top of tennis. Alcaraz – who also burst onto the scene as a teenager and became the ATP’s youngest-ever world No. 1 – claimed the Brazilian would become one of the world’s best players.
The four-time Grand Slam champion also watched parts of Fonseca’s match against Rublev. “What can I say about it? Just incredible,” he said.
“I mean, the way he played his first Grand Slam match against his first top 10, it’s unbelievable. The way he approach the match, the way he handle everything, the nerves, the match in general, it’s been fantastic.
“It’s someone that I have to be care of, let’s say. I have to see him. He’s going to be there. Is just the beginning of the year, just one win in Grand Slam, but he’s going to be there.
“We’re going to put Joao Fonseca’s name on the list of the best players in the world really soon.”
Fonseca will return to action on Thursday as he faces Lorenzo Sonego in the second round. Despite turning pro less than two years ago, the world No. 112 has already played and beaten Sonego, winning their only match in Bucharest last April.