<p>In recent years, fans from the football-mad nation have brought their boisterous energy to typically restrained tennis matches as they followed the 19-year-old's ascension to number 30 in the world.</p><p>In Brazil, children are flocking to tennis academies and youth tournaments to follow in his footsteps.</p><p><strong>"Today, we have no spots available. There is a waiting list,"</strong> tennis coach Juninho Nascimento told AFP at his academy in Sao Bernardo do Campo, 20 kilometres from Sao Paulo.</p><p>One of his students, 13-year-old Henry Takahashi, said he trains every day, with Fonseca serving as his "inspiration".</p><p><strong>"I like how (Fonseca) carries himself on the court, his shots... everything,"</strong> Takahashi said shyly.</p><p>With his aggressive playing style, a heavy forehand, and plenty of charisma, Rio de Janeiro native Fonseca has emerged as the great hope of South American tennis.</p><p>In the process, he has put Brazil back on the map among the men's tennis elite.</p><p>On Friday, he blasted Djokovic out of the French Open in an almost five-hour match.</p><p>In 2025 - when he won his first titles on the ATP Tour in Buenos Aires and Basel - Fonseca became just the fifth Brazilian in history to break into the top 25 of the world rankings.</p><p>His highest ranking has been 24th.</p><p>This places him in an exclusive club alongside Gustavo Kuerten - the country's only world number one - Thomaz Bellucci, Fernando Meligeni, and Thomaz Koch.</p><p>It had been a long time coming for Brazil: Kuerten retired in 2008, Meligeni in 2003, and Koch in 1985.</p>

Same racket, same moustache

<p>Brazil recorded a 34 per cent jump in the number of participants in a national youth championship for players between the ages of 12 and 18 and the Federation Cup - an elite tournament for rising stars in which Fonseca himself once competed.</p><p><strong>"It's crazy! I joke with everyone: Joao Fonseca wins a match in the morning, and by the afternoon, the number of registered members goes up," </strong>Danilo Gaino, president of the Sao Paulo tennis federation, told AFP.</p><p>Thiago Freitas, Brazil operations director for the Roc Nation sports agency, said Fonseca attracted young fans.</p><p><strong>"If you look at the boys, they're all growing little moustaches and beards just like Joao's,"</strong> Nascimento said - referring to the goatee often sported by the player.</p><p>Many also use his racket model.</p><p>Just breaking into the professional ranks, Luis "Guto" Miguel is one of Brazil's most promising young tennis players.</p><p>Ranked second in the International Tennis Federation's junior standings, the 17-year-old believes that Fonseca is "paving a path" for others to follow.</p><p><strong>"It's a tough road. With his dedication, his shot-making, and his attitude, he helps us learn faster and reach the very top,"</strong> Miguel told AFP after competing in the Latin American Open in Sao Paulo - his debut on the ATP Tour.</p><p>In Sao Bernardo do Campo, other up-and-coming young players wrap up a practice session.</p><p>Seeing "such a young player" like Fonseca win titles is an inspiration, said one of them, Bruno Rodrigues.</p><p>"If he can do it, maybe one day we can too."</p>