Joao Fonseca was already supposed to start his 2026 season, but a physical issue forced him to be patient.
The young Brazilian ace was one of the main protagonists of 2025, the year in which he matured further from all points of view, also winning two titles. He lifted the trophy on the red clay of Buenos Aires (ATP 250) and at the Basel ATP 500 respectively, making his entry into the Top 25 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.
Some experts and former players expect the South American star to already be able to compete for Grand Slam titles, but this goal seems out of his reach even given the dominance of champions such as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
At the same time, most fans and analysts would be quite surprised if Joao wasn't very close to the Top 10 at the end of this season.
Fonseca is currently ranked No.29
Everyone's hope is that Fonseca can recover in time for the start of the Australian Open, which is set for Sunday 18 January at Melbourne Park.
After announcing his retirement from the Adelaide ATP 250, he explained in detail what is blocking him right now: “We are trying our best to recover a hundred per cent to play the Australian Open, which is our main goal. The decision is not made. We want to play, we think that it’s going to be possible. So, yeah, we want to focus on the recovery, and unfortunately, I couldn’t play here, and I hope to come back stronger next year."
He continued: “I was born with something in my back, and sometimes it’s more tight. I already had a stress fracture five years ago, but it’s something that it’s going to be in my body, so I need to deal with it. I’m just trying my best to recover. We did an MRI, and it’s nothing very serious, but it can be serious, so we want to be a hundred per cent to play.”
