Joao Fonseca has been one of the ATP Tour’s recent breakout stars. Last year, he rose from outside of the world’s top 100 and into the top 25, picking up his first two career titles. The Brazilian teenager has already attracted a lot of attention, with fans snaking around tournament sites to watch his matches.

Even Novak Djokovic has touted the 19-year-old as a future “superstar”, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion also believes there are two other young stars who deserve as much hype as Fonseca, whose achievements have been left behind.

Fonseca wasn’t the only teenager to enjoy a breakthrough in 2025. Jakub Mensik was just 19 when he beat Jack Draper, Arthur Fils, Taylor Fritz, and Djokovic himself on his way to the Miami Open title. Meanwhile, Learner Tien started last season by shocking Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open, and ended it with a maiden title win in Metz.

Both men have carried their momentum into the 2026 season. Mensik reached the second week of the Australian Open before withdrawing due to an injury, but got back on track in Doha last month, where he stunned Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, while Tien clinched a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne.

And Djokovic has been impressed with Tien’s rise, even if he’s gone under the radar compared to Fonseca. “I think he’s a very talented player. I played him in US Open last year. Obviously, I think it was the first time maybe night session for him, so maybe he wasn’t playing as good as he can play or that he has played in some matches that he has won against Medvedev, for example, last couple of years in Australia that we have seen, or Miami, for that matter, last year,” Djokovic said of the world No. 25.

“He has had some great performances, and he’s still very young. You know, I think him, Fonseca, these guys, Mensik, that’s the generation. I don’t know if they’re the same age or maybe someone is year younger, year older, but I think Fonseca got a lot of spotlight, which is nice for him, but I think the other guys deserve that too because of the results and everything that have been showing, you know, in the last couple of years, particularly in the last 12 months.”

Tien is coached by tennis icon Michael Chang, who became the youngest man to win the French Open in 1989, and Djokovic believes their partnership is another positive sign for the 20-year-old rising star.

He added: “Tien has Michael Chang in his corner, who is obviously one of the all-time greats and Grand Slam winner and someone that has been on top of the game and understands. Also, I think he’s the youngest-ever Grand Slam winner on the men’s side, 16 or 17 when he won Roland Garros, so he understands the pressures that come into play when you’re so young and you reach that height and have that platform, that you still haven’t maybe matured in your game or emotions or everything that goes around that.

“So I’m sure that he gives him great counsel and guidance. So it seems like he’s putting a good team around himself, and he’s obviously from America and has the great support of the USTA and the whole thing that goes with it. He has all of the precursors of becoming a really good tennis player. So it’s really up to him now, and time will tell.”