'Reminds Me Of Myself'! Roger Federer's Words Of Wisdom For Brazilian Prodigy Joao Fonseca

Last Updated:January 15, 2026, 20:11 IST

Federer believes that the teenage Brazilian can go beyond being 'the third guy' in the Carlos Alcaraz- Jannik Sinner rivalry and tipped him for greatness.

Joao Fonseca. (X/BrisbaneInternational)

Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer had some words of wisdom for Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca ahead of the Australian Open.

Federer believes that the Brazilian prodigy can go beyond being ‘the third guy’ in the Carlos Alcaraz- Jannik Sinner rivalry and tipped him for greatness.

“I hope his mindset isn’t to be the third guy behind Carlos and Jannik, but to become the best," the Swiss legend said.

“What makes him unique is his power. He has a special aura and seems like a very nice kid. I enjoy watching him play."

“In a way, he reminds me of myself: he needs time to improve his game and learn when to change rhythm. Once he figures that out, the sky is the limit," he added.

Federer shared his thoughts on the emerging rivalry between World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and World No.2 Jannik Sinner, who seem set to dominate the highest levels of modern tennis for the foreseeable future.

Federer, 44, remarked, “The rivalry that Carlos and Jannik are building is incredible. They play unbelievably." Reflecting on the 2025 Roland Garros final, he noted, “It was one of the best matches of all time. The world stopped to watch Paris, and it’s great that our sport can create moments like that."

Federer also reflected on Sinner’s Wimbledon match against Grigor Dimitrov, who, like Federer, plays with a single-handed backhand. He saw it as a way to imagine how he might have played against the Italian. “At Wimbledon, when Grigor was playing against Jannik and I was sitting there, it made it easy to think how it could’ve been because Grigor plays very similarly to how I played."

He continued, “I think it was one of the first times I thought about how it would have been to play Jannik. I didn’t feel that way watching Jannik against Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters. I was just watching great tennis because they both play very differently from how I play."

“With Sinner, at one point I thought, ‘Okay, now I understand how I would probably play against Jannik,'" he revealed.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion believes he sees a bit of himself in Alcaraz, especially in their approach to the game. “When I see Carlos, I feel like there’s more similarity in terms of our decisions on when to hit a drop shot, when to come to the net, how offensive or passive to play, because we both like to play on our terms," Federer explained. “So I put myself more into Carlos’s mindset and skin," he added.

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