Rising star Joao Fonseca chooses greatest player of all time between Federer and Djokovic

Brazilian star Joao Fonseca has taken tennis by storm with an impressive win at the Buenos Aires Open, becoming the 10th-youngest champion in ATP Tour-era history (since 1990). The 18-year-old is ambitious and has already declared his goal of becoming World No. 1 someday. And, speaking of World No. 1s, Fonseca has a clear favorite between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic when declaring who is the greatest player of all time.

“Federer is [the greatest idol]. It can’t be changed. People may say Djokovic is the greatest of all time, but for me, there is no competition,” he said during an interview with GE. “Djokovic might be the best of all time, but Federer is the greatest. Unmatched.”

Fonseca is not alone in this view. Tennis legend Bjorn Borg has also distinguished between being the “best” player and the one with the most “impact” on the sport, which, in many ways, is harder to quantify than titles.

This is not the first time Fonseca has praised the Swiss Maestro. After stunning Andrey Rublev at the 2025 Australian Open, he stated that Federer was his idol and that “everyone wanted to play like him,” even recalling a brief attempt at a one-handed backhand.

Roger Federer during the 2024 US Open (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

“I tried for, like, one week, and then I had something in my elbow, so I decided, I’m going to go back to two-handed (smiles). But, yeah, he is an idol for me. He inspires me,” Fonseca admitted.

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Fonseca’s ties with Federer

According to Essentially Sports, Fonseca could have been represented by Federer’s own agency, Team8, but declined, citing that he and his team are waiting for now. However, he is sponsored by On, the brand Federer supports.

Fonseca’s goals for the year

In the same interview, Fonseca expressed his desire to compete in all Grand Slam draws this year. “I hope to play more and more big tournaments, the ATP 250, 500, get into the top 60, 50, and be able to play in all the tournament draws,” he said.

After his win in Buenos Aires, Fonseca lost to Alexandre Muller in the first round of his hometown Open in Rio de Janeiro. However, he will have another opportunity at Indian Wells, where he received a wildcard for the tournament, set to begin on May 2.