Novak Djokovic Mentions Two Young Players Who Deserve as Much Spotlight as Joao Fonseca

Joao Fonseca holds a just 2-3 win-loss record this season and has yet to win two consecutive matches on tour.

Novak Djokovic Mentions Two Young Players Who Deserve as Much Spotlight as Joao Fonseca

Joao Fonseca and Novak Djokovic (via Punto de Break)

In Short
  • Novak Djokovic highlights Learner Tien and Jakub Mensik as deserving of more media attention alongside Joao Fonseca.
  • Fonseca has received significant media hype but has struggled with recent performances, winning only two matches this season.
  • Tien and Mensik, both ranked higher than Fonseca, have achieved notable results but lack the same level of fan support and media coverage.

Novak Djokovic has assessed the next wave if taken emerging in the ATP Tour and believes only Joao Fonseca isn’t supposed to be in the spotlight. The World No.3 believes American sensation Learner Tien and Jakub Mensik are supposed to be in the conversation about leading youngsters on tour.

Fonseca has enjoyed media hype and pressure since making a name for himself at the 2025 Australian Open, where he defeated then top-10 star Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the first round. The 19-year-old later claimed the ATP titles in Buenos Aires and Basel, becoming one of the youngest champions on the ATP Tour.

The Brazilian teenager has made fans rally behind him with enthusiasm, often packing stadiums each time he takes to the court, and his country’s fans chant his name during matches. The promising youngster has also been dubbed to become the next Roger Federer on tour.

However, Tien, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the 2025 Australian Open, has not received the kind of fan support that has been given to Fonseca. The American star reached the quarter-finals of the Melbourne Grand Slam in January and the semi-finals of the Delray Beach Open.

Also, Mensik, who defeated Jannik Sinner at the Qatar Open last month and defeated Djokovic at the final of the 2025 Miami Open, has not received much media praise in his career. During Djokovic’s press conference at Indian Wells, he pointed out that Mensik and Tien deserve the same level of media attention that Fonseca gets on tour:

He’s [Tien’s] still very young. Him, Fonseca, [Jakub] Mensik, that’s the generation, I don’t know if they’re the same age or maybe one year, someone is a year younger, year older. But, I think Fonseca got a lot of spotlight, which is nice for him, but I think the other guys deserve that too because of the results and everything that have been showing in the last couple of years, particularly in the last 12 months.

While Mensik and Tien have reached a semi-final this season, Fonseca is yet to win two consecutive matches. The Brazilian teenager failed to defend his Argentina Open title last month and managed to win just one match at the Rio Open. In Melbourne, he crashed out after losing to Eliot Spizzirri in the first round.

Joao Fonseca claims his second win of the year at the Indian Wells Open

Joao Fonseca grabbed just his second win of the season at the Indian Wells Open on Wednesday (March 4). The crowd at the stadium kept chanting his name as he defeated Raphael Collignon 7-6(2), 6-4 to reach the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the California desert.

Joao Fonseca
Joao Fonseca (via Davis Cup)

Fonseca had to dig deep in the match as he was not at his best physically and technically. But he showed character and mental toughness, particularly in the first set, while the fans backed him. After the match, he revealed that he tried to react to the energy of the crowd on the court as he felt pressured while playing:

I just try to push with as much energy as I can. I just try to bring them to me to give me strength to keep going. It was the first time that I felt very, very pressured, because I was the first seed and I was getting a wild card to the main draw of Roland Garos juniors. I won the tournament and it was the first time in my club that a lot of people were cheering for me. I felt a little bit of pressure, of course, but it was fun.

Fonseca now holds a 2-3 win-loss record this season. He reached the second round of the Indian Wells Open before defending champion Jack Draper defeated him. He has a chance to get to the third round as he will face the 16th seed Karen Khachanov in his second match at the Indian Wells Open.

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