SAN FRANCISCO – Joao Fonseca will become the youngest competitor in the eight-year history of the Laver Cup when the 19-year-old squares off for Team World against Team Europe’s Flavio Cobolli on Friday.
He almost made his debut a year earlier.
The Brazilian phenom was asked by Team World captain John McEnroe to participate in the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin. Fonseca was the World No. 1 in juniors tennis in 2023 and had played a few ATP tournaments in 2024. His was not in the top 100 yet and he and his team thought he wasn’t quite ready for such a big stage.
When Andre Agassi came back early in 2025 to be part of the Laver Cup, Fonseca felt he would be ready. He won the Next Gen ATP finals in December, 2024 as the youngest competitor in the field, and he would play a full ATP Tour calendar in 2025.
“I feel more confident, more comfortable to come,” Fonseca told The Sporting News. “Last year, I wasn’t ready for it. I was an 18-year-old guy, not experienced with big stadiums and playing against the big guys.
“I’m more mature, more experienced in these type of circumstances. I’m not just a promise, I’m more concrete now (with a ranking) in the top 50. It is going to be really cool.”
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Joao Fonseca inspires Brazil in 2025
Fonseca opened his year with a bang, winning a Challenger event in Canberra in the lead-up to the Australian Open. He reached the main AO bracket by winning three qualifying matches, then announced to the tennis world he was here to stay with a stunning first-round upset of No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev. All the hype, all the promise was there in a straight-set victory in Melbourne.
Fonseca’s popularity skyrocketed as he landed on mainstream tennis fans’ radars. His next match was a five-set loss to 30-year-old Lorenzo Sonego, reinforcing that the boy was ready to compete with the men.
In Brazil, Fonseca was an athletic hero immediately, following in the footsteps of Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, the greatest male player in its history. Kuerten was the year-end World No. 1 in 2000 and won three French Open titles during a decorated career.
The nation’s fans were fervent in their support of Kuerten, and the same has been true of Fonseca. At the Miami Open in March, Brazilian fans took over the facility, prompting Fonseca at one point to say, “I felt like I was in Brazil.” He reached the third round before 10th seed Alex de Minaur took him out in three sets.
“Actually, there’s a lot of positive things about the way (Brazilian fans) support me,” Fonseca told SN. “Everywhere I go, even when I was just playing challengers, they were there supporting me. It is the culture. They see promise, a player having great success and they follow, so it’s super, super nice.
“But at the same time, (it comes with) a little bit of expectations and pressure, which is normal.” It’s going to come, but most of the time it’s just a plus.”
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Team Europe Vice Captain Tim Henman can relate on a certain level. He was the British No. 1 and had the rabid desire of English fans to see one of their own win Wimbledon for the first time since Fred Perry in 1936. Henman reached the semifinals four times in a five-year stretch but could never break through.
“I was in Miami this year when he was playing, and I witnessed the Brazilian crowds,” Henman told SN. “And it did take me back to when Guga was playing, and I played a lot against him. And that sort of passion and excitement is brilliant to watch, and it’s great for the game.
“What’s really important is you focus on the things that you can control, and that’s your preparation and your performance. All that noise and narrative that’s out there – I couldn’t control it, and he won’t be able to control it. So I think the people around him are absolutely vital in making sure that his mind is focused on the way that he wants to prepare and improve. From what I’ve seen so far, he’s a great kid. He’s got good people around him, and he’s got a great game. So I’ll be excited to see not only how he plays this weekend, but in the coming months and years.”
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Fonseca sees steady improvement
Fonseca has had a steady year and has worked his way up to his current ranking of No. 42. He made the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon, and reached the second round of the US Open shortly after celebrating his 19th birthday in August. While some analysts caught Fonseca Fever and predicted he could win the French Open, the teenager has appreciated his steady climb in his first full year on tour.
“I’m happy with it,” Fonseca said of his first year. “I mean, the first year playing the big tournaments, and yeah, started the year, what? (Ranked) 120, and now 50. It’s a lot of achievement, and not only by ranking, but as a person, as an athlete. (I am) more responsible, more mature and understanding more of the game.”
Fonseca told reporters he is enjoying the first few days of his Laver Cup experience, trying to soak up the wisdom from some of the best players in the world. He admitted to having sweaty palms when he met Roger Federer on Wednesday for the first time at the Chase Center.
“I’m normally listening, I’m not talking,” Fonseca said. “I’m just only listening, having some experience from those guys and learning a lot.”
Fonseca considered playing college tennis at Virginia before deciding to go pro, which would have given him the chance to play in more team settings. He says he has loved representing Brazil in Davis Cup matches, and he expects the same team energy this week from Team World.
“Each match, you’re not playing for yourself, you’re playing for the team and people that inspire you,” he said. “We have a top five guy, which is Taylor (Fritz), and we are going to be there cheering for him, and he’s going to be there cheering for us. We are a team. Andre (Agassi) is talking a lot about that. It’s important to have great energy off the court and on the bench.”
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