Brazil’s Joao Fonseca says he wants to create his own story in tennis without being compared to others.

The 18-year-old has shot to the limelight following his rapid rise on the Tour. Fonseca ended 2024 by winning the Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia despite being the lowest-seeded payer in the draw. Then, at the start of this year, he won a Challenger title in Canberra before winning three rounds of qualifying at the Australian Open. He won all of those matches in straight sets. Fonseca continued his momentum in the Australian Open main draw with a shock first round win over Andrey Rublev before getting beaten in the second round by Lorenzo Sonego.

Currently ranked 99th in the PIF ATP rankings, Fonseca admits he is still adjusting to his newfound fame. He currently has an Instagram following of 718,000 which is an increase of more than 500,000 since December 22nd, according to data provided by trendHERO.

“I was in Brazil last week. I went out into the street and people stopped me to take photos,” he told reporters at the Argentina Open.

“It’s difficult, and everything is very new. After Australia, I gained a lot of visibility, and I met more people.

“There are many new things abroad but not at home, I continue with the same objectives, wanting more and more and following my dream.”

Given his success at a young age, some are tipping Fonseca to be the next Gustavo Kuerten, which is a compliment he is keen to downplay. Kuerten is the only Brazillian man to have won a Grand Slam title in the Open Era after winning the French Open three times. He won 20 ATP titles during his career and spent 43 weeks as world No.1.

“Guga’ is an idol for all Brazilian people, not just for tennis. He is a great person. They told me that he won the first edition here (at the Argentina Open). I hope that in the future he can win it too.” Fonseca commented.

“I don’t like comparisons very much, everyone has their time and can make their own story. Some Brazilians say that I could be the next ‘Guga,’ but I want to be Joao.”

For the foreseeable future, Fonseca’s top priotiy is keeping himself grounded with the help of those around him. He is coached on the Tour by Guilherme Teixeira and has been managed by his parents, Christiano and Roberta, who both have previous experiance in this area.

“I don’t have a psychologist. I already tried, but it didn’t work,” he said.

“I didn’t like it. Maybe in the future, but now I don’t want to, only if I need to. I think I have a good head to perceive everything that happens outside.

“In my career, everything happened very fast as a junior. I already passed my first year as a professional, I grew in the rankings and now I’m in the Top 100. I know that I have to be mature and humble and work hard to keep.”

Fonseca will face eighth seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry in his opening match at the Argentina Open.