Fonseca riding high after Djokovic praise following Indian Wells win

Joao Fonseca earned his maiden win at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, but perhaps the highlight of his day came away from the match court.

Following his three-set victory against Jacob Fearnley, the 18-year-old Brazilian bumped into five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic, who was quick to offer words of praise, leaving Fonseca riding high.

“I was just leaving the court that I practised on after my match, and then [Djokovic] was entering. He asked if I won. I said I won. Then he just congratulated me. It was just super cool that he was talking to me,” Fonseca said with a smile on Thursday in his post-match press conference.

All eyes were on Fonseca on Day 2 at the ATP Masters 1000 event after his recent breakthrough run. Since December, Fonseca has won the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title, defeated World No. 9 Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, cracked the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings and clinched his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Buenos Aires.

On his Indian Wells debut, the 18-year-old dug deep to overcome Fearnley on Stadium 1 in front of a vocal crowd that included a large number of proud Brazilians. Following his win, Fonseca reflected on his growing support and worldwide attention.

“I'm still young and I'm still kind of getting used to this,” Fonseca said. “But seeing people, and not only Brazilians but from all over the world, cheering for me and calling my name, just wanting autographs. Two years ago it was me asking for the autographs. It's just very nice to see those kids and people watching for me.”

Fonseca is competing at a Masters 1000 event for just the second time, having won a match in Madrid last year. The 18-year-old played predominantly on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2024 but now at No. 80 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he is set to be a staple on the ATP Tour in 2025.

It has been quite the rise for Fonseca, who is trying to stay focused while enjoying new experiences.

“It's my first time here. My second year as a professional. I'm getting to the better tournaments. So I am just seeing these different tournaments and seeing the top players,” Fonseca said. “[I] just met Novak today, saw Carlos. Seeing those guys it's super cool. Everything is super cool.”

If Fonseca continues his current trajectory, it might not be long until he faces the Serbian and Spaniard on court. For now, the Brazilian will focus on his second-round match on Saturday against British lefty Jack Draper.