Boris Becker gives his verdict on Joao Fonseca’s chances of winning a Grand Slam title

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Joao Fonseca has quickly made a name for himself as one of the top young players on the ATP Tour.

He made a splash at the 2025 Australian Open, taking down Andrey Rublev in the first round to announce himself to the wider tennis world.

Fonseca, who just reached the quarterfinals of the Munich Open, is currently sitting at number 31 in the ATP rankings.

Fonseca has long been talked about as a future Grand Slam winner and Boris Becker has now added his voice to that conversation.

Boris Becker backs Joao Fonseca to become Grand Slam Champion

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

“First of all, he’s one of the most talented 19-year-olds I’ve ever seen,” Becker [pictured below] said while speaking to reporters at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards.

“But it doesn’t take a week or two to win a Grand Slam. So we have to give him a bit of time, a bit more maturity.

Fonseca has also been praised for his work ethic and attitude. This is what Becker said about him:

“But I think he’s got the right attitude and the right mentality to be a world-class player.”

The teenager, seeded 27th in the Spanish capital, has received a bye through to the second round.

There, he will face Zizou Bergs or 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic.

If Fonseca were to advance to the third round in Madrid, he would likely play fifth seed Alex de Minaur.

The Brazilian will be hoping to improve upon his previous performances in Madrid: he has failed to make it past the second round in two attempts.

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