João Fonseca enchants and impresses legends in Laver Cup title: 'He will be one of the greats of tennis'

Team World defeated Team Europe in the 2025 Laver Cup, an exhibition tournament that brings together the biggest tennis stars from around the globe, this weekend in San Francisco, United States. Among Carlos Alcaraz , Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and other sports celebrities, Brazilian João Fonseca certainly showed why he's a tennis diamond and earned his call-up.

Fonseca was undoubtedly the main attraction of the event. The Brazilian played only on Friday, securing the first victory for Team World by defeating Italian Flavio Cobolli, ranked 25th in the ATP rankings, 6-4, 6-3. The 19-year-old Brazilian became the youngest player to win the Laver Cup.

His forehands and shots generated "uh" and "ah" from the crowd of over 20,000 at the Chase Center, home of the NBA 's Golden State Warriors . Not only the paying public were impressed, but also the tennis legends who captained both teams, such as Andre Agassi (8-time Grand Slam winner), Patrick Rafter (two-time US Open champion), Tim Henman, Yannick Noah, and, of course, Alcaraz and company.

João on whether the celebration with Agassi was planned:

"No, it was a spur of the moment thing. It's a bit of a tradition in tennis, so I saw it and was like, 'Come on, let's do it.' Scoring the first point for Team World is important, so let's keep that vibe going."

[Via Tennis Channel] pic.twitter.com/OmV9nRGTub

— João Fonseca Updates (@fonsecaupdates) September 20, 2025

"Obviously Fonseca is a very well-liked player, even though he played a lot of tournaments and had a short career," Alcaraz, the current world number one, told ESPN.

"It's been very exciting to watch his game up close. He hits well on both sides, every part of his game is competitive, he's confident, he doesn't seek validation from anyone. It's as if there's an inner security that he's a true asset on the tennis court," analyzed Agassi, captain of Team World.

The world team singing João Fonseca's song #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/uHJg8dpDXJ

— tennis collection (@acervotenis) September 20, 2025

"The words that come to mind are incredibly mature, a high tennis IQ, he's calm, open to suggestions, open to learning, a quick learner. In a year he'll be a great player, in two years he'll be exceptional, because he has the ability to learn. He wants to keep improving," Rafter said about Fonseca at a press conference over the weekend.

"If he were your son, you would be happy. He's incredible. (…) It makes me want to cry talking about him. (…) All his attributes point to him being one of the greats. A disruptor," added the Australian, participating in the podcast "Served".