Joao Fonseca backed to do ‘incredible’ things by former world No 1 and Grand Slam champion
Former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Pat Rafter has backed Joao Fonseca’s future prospects, saying he has a ‘very good tennis brain’ and will be ‘exceptional’ in two years.
The Brazilian defeated Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 6-3 on the first day of the 2025 Laver Cup in San Francisco, gifting Team World an additional point.
Rafter is Team World’s vice-captain, with newly-installed captain Andre Agassi leading the way.
Fonseca’s rise has been one of the most talked about stories of the 2025 tennis season, gaining multiple top 10 wins and entering the world’s top 45 at just 19 years old.
“A very good tennis brain,” remarked Rafter, when asked to describe the Brazilian’s game.
“He’s calm. He’s open to suggestions. He’s open to learning. He’s quick to respond. He’s quick to learn.
“I see that side of him as such a mature part of the game that you can see what he’ll need to take forward.
“So in a year’s time, he’ll be a great player. In two years’ time, I think he’ll be exceptional, because he has the ability to learn.
“He wants to keep improving his game. We just saw what he can do out there, but he’s not there yet. You know, what I saw today was maturity.”
In defeating Cobolli, Fonseca became the youngest-ever Laver Cup match victor – with Czech Jakub Mensik having previously held the record for four hours prior.
“Today I was thinking, I hope he controls it,” continued the Australian, who won the US Open in both 1997 and 1998.
“He just went out and played such a mature match. Cobolli threw everything at him.
“He moved very well. He made him play a lot of balls, and he withstood that for the whole two sets, and then he confused Cobolli. He just turned the match on him.
“That’s a sign of how powerful his game is and where it can go.
“He’s got to adapt to different surfaces, different speeds, and different balls, and not everything will suit him throughout his next couple of years, but he will learn.
“I have no problem with his ability to take all that information on. Just his career path, to me, I only see really good things.”
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Fonseca lifted his maiden ATP title at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, becoming the youngest South American tour-level event victor since 1987.
The youngster reached the third round of both the French Open and Wimbledon, additionally winning a Challenger title in Phoenix.
Currently sitting at a career-high position of world No 42, Fonseca is feeling both calm and confident on court.
“We were actually joking about this because he said that he (Agassi) retired in 2006, and I said that I was born in 2006,” Fonseca joked, during the post-match interview.
“He was like ‘thanks, man, thanks’.
“It is amazing [working with Agassi], when you are working with these legends, it is important to keep in mind the things that their experience can tell you.
“I am just thankful to him for this week and for helping me have more experience.
“I think my team helped me a lot, to stay positive during the match,” he said.
“I was a little bit more nervous than usual, it is normal, and then after I started talking it out a bit more with Andre [Agassi] and the team.
“I was playing well in the beginning [of the match], but I was still a little bit nervous and making a lot of mistakes, but I still got through it, so I am very happy with that.”
