Novak Djokovic's warning about "future superstar” Joao Fonseca amid Miami breakthrough

MIAMI, USA—With 24 Grand Slam titles and more than two decades of professional tennis to his name, Novak Djokovic has seen promising young stars climb up the rankings on the ATP Tour—to ultimately varying degrees of success.

Teen prodigies can be fickle, sometimes burning out before reaching their full potential or crumbling under the weight of national or personal expectations. But still others thrive on the challenge, seeming to shine brighter under the spotlights and on the biggest stages.

👉 PHOTOS: Joao Fonseca gives his fans a Miami debut to remember in edging out Learner Tien

Joao Fonseca, the 18-year-old sensation from Brazil in the midst of a generational breakthrough in 2025, seems to fall under the latter category. Tennis fans, pundits and sponsors have long tipped him to become the ‘next big thing’–and Djokovic sees a bright future for him too:

“He's been talk of the tour in the last several months. I mean, deservedly so,” Djokovic told press in Miami.

Speaking after a 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory over Camilo Ugo Carabelli at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday, the six-time Miami champion heaped praise on young star Fonseca, who booked a third-round spot in his main draw debut with a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 19 seed Ugo Humbert.

“He's a very good tennis player. I mean, so young [and] just incredible firepower from both ends of the baseline. The serve. He's a very complete player,” Djokovic acknowledged.

“Of course, what is impressive is the way he strikes the ball—but even more so, how he handles the nerves on the court for someone that doesn't have experience at all playing at the highest level.”

Read More: Armed with new coach, Joao Fonseca fends off Learner Tien, and illness, in tricky Miami opener

Fonseca has kept himself firmly grounded through a whirlwind last few months. It was around this time last year that the Brazilian, who had committed to play tennis at the University of Virginia, first announced he was going pro following strong performances in the South American Golden Swing. It turned out to be a great decision for the 17-year-old, who later became the youngest ATP Challenger champion of 2024 with his Lexington victory.

He closed out the year by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals title—defeating Learner Tien in the final, the same player he ousted in the first round this week—and then kept the momentum going in Grand Slam debut. Fonseca qualified for the main draw at the Australian Open, and then caused a seismic upset as he knocked out No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the first round.

What is impressive is the way he strikes the ball—but even more so, how he handles the nerves on the court for someone that doesn't have experience at all playing at the highest level.

Fonseca arrived in Miami high on confidence and with all eyes on him, having won his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires and another ATP Challenger victory in Phoenix last week.

“He's exciting for Brazil, for the world of tennis,” Djokovic acknowledged. “I was saying back in Australia, that for our tennis ecosystem, our sport, it's super important to have a superstar, or future superstar, hopefully, coming from Brazil. Such a big country, big market, important.

“Of course, in Miami, I think everyone knew that he's going to have quite a support here.”

Read More: Novak Djokovic breaks Rafael Nadal’s record for most career wins at Masters 1000 events

Fonseca Fever has already hit South Florida hard. Each of the teen’s matches featuring the vocal support from passionate Brazilian fans, clad in their national team’s yellow and green jerseys and waving Brazil flags.

And they’ve certainly made their presence known in Miami: Brazilian fans turned up in droves for his first-round clash with Tien, and the rowdy atmosphere later prompted the American to share a social media featuring the tongue-in-cheek tag of “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil” as the location of the Miami Open. When Fonseca’s next match against Humbert was moved from Grandstand to the ticketed Stadium Court in a last-minute schedule change on Saturday, the umpire was forced to suspend the current match on court as fans, who had been sitting there for hours waiting to see their national hero, left the stands amid boos in a max exodus.

Making waves and moving the masses at just 18 years old, Fonseca is poised to be the future of tennis for years to come.

Still, Djokovic cautioned the tennis world to not get so carried away in following the Fonseca hype train that they don’t realize he’s just one player in a wave of young talent eager to make their mark on the ATP Tour.

“He's a very exciting player to watch. But he's not the only one,” the former world No. 1 said. “Maybe because people talk about Fonseca so much, they forgot about (Jakub) Mensik. They're the same age. (Learner) Tien, as well.

“All those players are very young, but they have as good of rankings as he does. They're as good as he is.”

That's because while the ATP Tour’s upper echelons have been defined by twentysomething Grand Slam winners Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the last few years, the sport’s relentless pace means that the new wave of Fonseca, Mensik, Tien and more are already coming up behind them—ready to lead the “new, new, new generation”, as Djokovic called them.

For Brazil, a country who has been eagerly awaiting for a successor to three-time Grand Slam winner Gustavo Kuerten since his retirement in 2008, that wave can’t hit soon enough.

“I think it's exciting, what… the ‘new, new, new generation’ is bringing,” Djokovic said. “It's always great that you have exciting players to watch and see the players that have potential to reach the greatest heights and to carry this sport.

“Obviously, Sinner and Alcaraz are the leaders of today, still very young. But then these guys, it seems like they (will be) knocking on the door of Sinner and Alcaraz in the years to come.”

Djokovic, the No. 4 seed, will face No. 15 Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the Miami Open quarterfinals on Tuesday.