João Fonseca, the young Brazilian tennis prodigy, made history by winning his opening match in a Grand Slam tournament. At just 18 years old, Fonseca defeated Andrey Ryublev, the world’s ninth-ranked player, in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia. His three-sets-to-nil victory not only propelled Fonseca into the limelight, but also matched a remarkable performance by Rafael Nadal, who also debuted with a Grand Slam victory in 2003.
Becoming the youngest player among the 128 competitors in the tournament, the Brazilian showed a daring performance, completing the match in 2 hours and 23 minutes. The triumph marks a crucial turning point in Fonseca’s career, who now shares comparisons with tennis icons such as Nadal, Guga, Djokovic and Federer.
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Rafael Nadal stands out not only as a tennis star, but also as an inspiration to many, including João Fonseca. In 2003, Nadal, at the age of 17, made headlines by winning his first two matches in the main draw at Wimbledon. He defeated Mario Ancic and Leed Childs before being eliminated by Paradorn Srichaphan. Nadal went on to win his first title at Roland Garros in 2005, beginning a career that would accumulate 14 trophies from this prestigious tournament before his retirement in 2024.
Gustavo Kuerten, affectionately known as Guga, is a Brazilian tennis legend. In 1996, he made his Grand Slam debut, but his first performance was not promising. After making it through qualifying, Guga faced tenth seed Wayne Ferreira at the Australian Open. His defeat in three sets meant an early exit from the tournament, but destiny had other plans for him.
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The following year, Guga’s luck changed dramatically as he won the 1997 French Open, cementing his status as one of the greats in world tennis.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are two of the biggest names in modern tennis, yet their Grand Slam journeys began relatively quietly. Federer made his debut in 1999 and faced a strong opponent in Patrick Rafter, failing to advance beyond the first round at Roland Garros. However, four years later he would triumph at Wimbledon.
For his part, Djokovic had an even more difficult start in 2005 at the Australian Open, where he lost to Marat Safin. His first Grand Slam title would not come until 2008, also in Australia, marking the start of a highly successful career.
Beginning his career at the Australian Open in 1997, Lleyton Hewitt quickly made a name for himself despite initial struggles. Throughout his career, he became one of the youngest players to reach the top of the world rankings, achieving this feat in doubles at the US Open in 2000 and in singles in 2001.
Jannik Sinner, currently ranked world number one, made his Grand Slam debut in 2019. Although he lost his first match at the Australian Open, he persevered and in 2024 he won his first major title at the same tournament, in addition to the US Open, establishing himself as a rising force on the international tennis scene.
