Fonseca cracks Top 100, becomes youngest in elite group since Alcaraz

Joao Fonseca continued his meteoric rise on Monday when he cracked the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings. In the past 12 months, the Brazilian has risen 552 places from No. 651 to a career-high World No. 99.
The 18-year-old has not slowed down since his dominant title run at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December. Fonseca made a dream start to his 2025 season, capturing an ATP Challenger Tour title in Canberra before qualifying for his maiden major main draw at the Australian Open, where he delivered one of the upsets of the tournament against ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the first round.
The teen is the youngest Top 100 player since Carlos Alcaraz in October 2021 and the youngest Brazilian to break into the Top 100 in PIF ATP Rankings history. He is the second-youngest South American teenager to crack the Top 100 this century behind Juan Martin del Potro.
“I'm excited to join the Top 100, play the big tournaments, get my place in this environment and keep working to go bigger,” Fonseca said during a Melbourne press conference. “I think for me, in my opinion, the sky's the limit. You need to work more and more to reach your dream, which is to become No. 1.”
Fonseca is not just a national icon, but a global superstar. Throughout the past year, he has been vocally backed by Brazilian fans across the world. It is common to spot fans waving the Brazilian flag during Fonseca’s matches while chanting “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”
Watch Fonseca's Journey To Jeddah:
The youngest Brazilian to surge into the Top 100 before Fonseca was Cassio Motta, who reached the elite group as a 19-year-old in 1979. Former World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten accomplished the feat just before his 20th birthday.
“From Brazil, the repercussions are just big. People are getting to know a little bit more of me. That's super nice. The Brazilian people like to cheer a lot for this [promising] kid,” Fonseca said, referring to himself. “But at the same time, you need to be focused.
“People are going to say a lot, have more expectations. You need to stay focused on your routine, to work more and more.”
Fonseca, who turned pro last February, is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, only trailing Learner Tien — whom he beat in last year's Jeddah title match — by 25 points. Tien earned a Melbourne upset of his own, stunning fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round. The American qualifier went on to reach the fourth round.