Carlos Alcaraz names 'special and incredible player' who can rival him and Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz's 2025 season might officially be over, but the world No. 1 will play arguably one of his most anticipated matches at an exhibition event in Miami next month. The six-time Major winner is set to face teenage sensation Joao Fonseca for the first time in a friendly at the Miami Invitational. They will also join forces with Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova for a mixed doubles tiebreak.

Fonseca has enjoyed a breakthrough season, starting the year ranked outside of the world's top 100 and ending it at a career-high of No. 24 in the world. The Brazilian qualified for the Australian Open and stunned No.9 seed Andrey Rublev on his Grand Slam main draw debut. He won his first title in Buenos Aires a few weeks later and recently picked up his biggest title at the ATP 500 in Basel.

Now, Alcaraz believes the 19-year-old could be the third man in his rivalry with Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men's tennis in recent years - they've split the last eight Grand Slam titles and are thousands of points ahead of the rest of their rivals in the rankings.

The tennis world has been waiting to see whether a third player can emerge as their rival, much like Novak Djokovic did with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And many - including Alcaraz himself - are throwing their weight behind Fonseca.

Ahead of their showdown at the Miami Invitational, the six-time Major winner piled the praise on his young rival. "He's a special and incredible player. The power he has is impressive, his serve is very good, something that, for me, when I entered the tour, was what I struggled with the most," the world No. 1 told O Globo.

"Joao also has a brutal forehand. If I had to point out something to improve, it would be his mobility. Little by little he will evolve in that aspect and, for me, he continues to be a special player. In the end, it's his first tour on the circuit and I think he's doing it very well."

Alcaraz and Sinner already sit atop the rankings at No. 1 and 2 in the world, respectively. After a tight battle at the top of the standings, it was the Spanish superstar who secured the top spot to end the 2025 season. And he's backing Fonseca to join them in the top three if he continues on his trajectory.

The two-time Wimbledon winner added: "What Joao has done this year is truly impressive. Reaching the top 25 in his first year on the ATP is very impressive. Will he reach the top three? That will be huge for him, because it's one thing to reach that position and another to maintain it.

"I can see Joao changing levels over the next two years. If he manages to make that leap, I believe he will have very important and beautiful things ahead of him, and we'll see how he handles that pressure."

Alcaraz isn't the only one with an eye on Fonseca. After the Brazilian beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to lift the Basel trophy, Davidovich Fokina said: "You are the person of this sport, you have a bright future. For sure, you're going to be the next Nole [Djokovic] to beat Carlos and Jannik."