Novak Djokovic has been impressed with two younger stars, who’ve gone below the radar compared with Joao Fonseca.
Novak Djokovic believes Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien deserve as a lot hype as Joao Fonseca (Picture: Getty)
Joao Fonseca has been one of many ATP Tour’s latest breakout stars. Final yr, he rose from exterior of the world’s high 100 and into the highest 25, choosing up his first two profession titles. The Brazilian teenager has already attracted a variety of consideration, with followers snaking round match websites to look at his matches.
Even Novak Djokovic has touted the 19-year-old as a future “celebrity”, however the 24-time Grand Slam champion additionally believes there are two different younger stars who deserve as a lot hype as Fonseca, whose achievements have been left behind.
Fonseca wasn’t the one teenager to get pleasure from a breakthrough in 2025. Jakub Mensik was simply 19 when he beat Jack Draper, Arthur Fils, Taylor Fritz, and Djokovic himself on his strategy to the Miami Open title. In the meantime, Learner Tien began final season by stunning Daniil Medvedev on the Australian Open, and ended it with a maiden title win in Metz.
Each males have carried their momentum into the 2026 season. Mensik reached the second week of the Australian Open earlier than withdrawing on account of an harm, however bought again on observe in Doha final month, the place he surprised Jannik Sinner within the quarter-finals, whereas Tien clinched a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne.
And Djokovic has been impressed with Tien’s rise, even when he’s gone below the radar in comparison with Fonseca. “I feel he is a really proficient participant. I performed him in US Open final yr. Clearly, I feel it was the primary time possibly evening session for him, so possibly he wasn’t enjoying pretty much as good as he can play or that he has performed in some matches that he has received towards Medvedev, for instance, final couple of years in Australia that we have now seen, or Miami, for that matter, final yr,” Djokovic stated of the world No. 25.
“He has had some nice performances, and he is nonetheless very younger. You recognize, I feel him, Fonseca, these guys, Mensik, that is the technology. I do not know in the event that they’re the identical age or possibly somebody is yr youthful, yr older, however I feel Fonseca bought a variety of highlight, which is sweet for him, however I feel the opposite guys deserve that too due to the outcomes and all the things which have been exhibiting, you recognize, within the final couple of years, significantly within the final 12 months.”
Learner Tien is coached by retired star Michael Chang (Picture: Getty)
Tien is coached by tennis icon Michael Chang, who turned the youngest man to win the French Open in 1989, and Djokovic believes their partnership is one other constructive signal for the 20-year-old rising star.
He added: “Tien has Michael Chang in his nook, who is clearly one of many all-time greats and Grand Slam winner and somebody that has been on high of the sport and understands. Additionally, I feel he is the youngest-ever Grand Slam winner on the boys’s aspect, 16 or 17 when he received Roland Garros, so he understands the pressures that come into play while you’re so younger and also you attain that top and have that platform, that you just nonetheless have not possibly matured in your sport or feelings or all the things that goes round that.
“So I am positive that he offers him nice counsel and steerage. So it looks as if he is placing an excellent crew round himself, and he is clearly from America and has the good help of the USTA and the entire thing that goes with it. He has the entire precursors of turning into a very good tennis participant. So it is actually as much as him now, and time will inform.”
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