Joao Fonseca is perhaps the most exciting young talent on the ATP Tour.
The Brazilian, who won his first two ATP Tour titles this year, has ended the year ranked 24th in the world.
His final big success of the year came at the Swiss Indoors tournament in October. Fonseca won the event, defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final.
Could Fonseca be the player to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP tree? Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated the Tour for some time, winning the last eight Grand Slams combined.
Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, has weighed in on the matter.
Rafael Nadal believes Joao Fonseca is not ready to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
In an interview on El Larguero, Nadal discussed the need for a player to challenge the ongoing dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
This year, the pair won all four majors combined and 14 titles in total: eight for Alcaraz, six for Sinner.
During the monologue, Nadal mentioned Joao Fonseca. Despite his impressive year, Nadal does not believe the Brazilian is ready to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz.
Who do you think will win more Grand Slam titles in 2026?
As reported by Cadena SER, Nadal said: “I watch some tennis matches, the ones I feel like watching. I think Sinner and Alcaraz need someone to push them… Fonseca? I think he’s still young and not in a position to think about that.
“They need someone to challenge them a bit because they’ve set themselves apart from everyone else, and in any form they can beat anyone, until they run into that other player.
“Those of us watching from the outside have the feeling that even if they play badly, they’re going to keep winning and reaching all the finals.”
Nadal discusses whether he regrets quitting tennis
Nadal, a five-time Davis Cup champion, ended his career after competing in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals for Spain.
In the same interview, the Spaniard was asked if he misses tennis and regrets quitting the sport.
“It’s a closed chapter, and a closed one at that,” Nadal replied.
“I’m convinced my time had come because there was nothing else. This doesn’t mean I won’t have fun playing in an exhibition in the future.
“There’s no need to dream about it; it’s a very real possibility that I’ll play with Djokovic or Federer. What we can’t expect is the same level we played at before [laughs].
“If the opportunity arises, we’ll prepare to play at our best.”
Nadal returned to the court recently, hitting with both Alexandra Eala and Alina Korneeva. Nadal could also play with Roger Federer again in the future, as he hinted on Monday.
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