Brazilian tennis prodigy Joao Fonseca, one of the breakout stars of the 2025 Australian Open, has revealed who inspired him to take up the sport.

Joao Fonseca, an 18-year-old tennis sensation from Brazil, stunned world No. 9 Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open and credited Roger Federer’s advice for shaping his grounded approach amid rising fame.

Brazil have known about Fonseca’s talent known for some time, making his ATP Tour debut at his home tournament in Rio as a 16-year-old wildcard. Fonseca also got the chance to be a hitting partner for Alcaraz and Sinner ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin after winning the US Open junior title in 2023.

Joao Fonseca is the talk of tennis after his incredible win against Andrey Rublev on his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open – and it has edged him towards one of the first big rankings targets of his career.

By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Endless queues outside Melbourne Park's 1573 Arena on a sunny Thursday afternoon gave casual fans the impression that a Grand Slam champion was in action, but a quick peek inside revealed the carnival atmosphere and explained the interest.

It is the teenager’s time to shine at the Australian Open. Two of the youngest players in the men’s singles draw have made some of the biggest headlines, with Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik starring in Melbourne.