No 1 Club
Fonseca meets ‘everyone’s idol’ Agassi in Rio
19-year-old reunites with former World No. 1 at ATP 500 event
February 21, 2026
Fotojump / Rio Open
Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi meets Joao Fonseca at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
By Jerome Coombe
A rising star met tennis royalty on Friday at the Rio Open presented by Claro, where Joao Fonseca shared a special moment with ATP No. 1 Club member Andre Agassi.
The 19-year-old Fonseca has rapidly emerged as one of the most exciting young players on the ATP Tour. Agassi, who spent 101 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, represents the gold standard of excellence that the Brazilian is now chasing. Also part of the gathering was Marcelo Melo, Fonseca’s doubles partner this week at the ATP 500 event, with the pair riding a wave of home support into the semi-finals.
Fonseca spent time around Agassi at last year’s Laver Cup, where the American served as Team World Captain and Fonseca made his debut at the teams event. That week provided the teenager with a rare chance to learn from one of the game’s great competitors, soaking in advice and perspective from a player who thrived under the brightest lights.
“He was everyone’s idol,” Fonseca said of Agassi, smiling after Melo revealed that the American had been his own inspiration growing up.
Fonseca’s title run at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, where he swept through the field to lift the trophy, cemented his status as one of the sport’s premier young talents. He then carried that momentum into 2025 with two tour-level trophies, reinforcing the belief that Brazil’s newest star is ready to contend on the biggest stages.
Agassi knows better than most what it takes to handle rising expectations. An eight-time major champion and one of the most recognisable figures of his era, the American built a career defined by resilience, reinvention and sustained excellence at the top of the sport.
