With racket in hand, Henry enters the court. He trains every day with the young Brazilian João Fonseca, 19, as his “inspiration”.
“More and more young people” like 13-year-old Henry Takahashi dream of becoming professional tennis players in the country of football, their coach, Juninho Nascimento, tells AFP.
The coach says there is a Fonseca “boom” with a surge in the number of entries in children’s and youth tournaments.
“Today we have no vacancies. There is a waiting list”, he adds at the São Paulo Tennis Federation Academy gym in São Bernardo do Campo, 20 km from São Paulo.
And to strengthen this “boom”, if necessary, on Friday (29) Fonseca gave a great boost in Paris: he beat former world number one Novak Djokovic in an epic comeback, after being two sets down, to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros.
The jewel from Rio, number 30 in the world, defeated by 4/6, 4/6, 6/3, 7/5 and 7/5 a 39-year-old opponent who will have to keep waiting to win a historic 25th Grand Slam title.
With his aggressive style of play, a heavy right hand and a lot of charisma, the young tennis player from Rio de Janeiro emerged as the great promise of South American tennis.
And, in addition, it once again put Brazil on the map of the men’s tennis elite.
In 2025, when he won his first ATP titles in Buenos Aires and Basel, he became the fifth Brazilian to enter the Top-25 in the history of the ranking. It reached 24th position.
He joined Gustavo Kuerten —the only number one—, Thomaz Bellucci, Fernando Meligeni and Thomaz Koch.
A lot of time had passed. Gugaa Kuerten retired in 2008, Meligeni in 2003 and Koch in 1985.
“I like how [Fonseca] behaves on the court, his plays, everything”, says shyly Henry, who studies high school online amid his busy training schedule.
Growth of “madness”
Between 2024 and 2025 there was a 34% jump in the number of participants in the national children’s and youth championship (12-18 years old) and in the Federations Cup, an elite tournament of promises in which Fonseca competed before debuting on the professional circuit.
And in São Paulo, where Henry trains, growth is exponential.
The number of participants in the regional federation’s youth tournaments multiplied fourfold between 2022 and 2025, reaching more than 7,000.
“It’s crazy. I joke with everyone: João Fonseca wins a game in the morning and in the afternoon the number of members increases”, the president of the São Paulo Tennis Federation, Danilo Gaino, tells AFP.
Fonseca attracts a young audience, “a trend that we observe in other activities, such as music or cinema, when Brazilians compete for international awards”, analyzes Thiago Freitas, director of operations in Brazil at the sports division of the Roc Nation agency.
“If you look at the boys, they are all growing a mustache and a beard like João’s,” says Nascimento about his students.
Many use his racket model.
If he can…
Entering professionalism, Luis “Guto” Miguel is one of the most promising young tennis players in Brazil.
Second in the International Tennis Federation’s youth ranking, the 17-year-old player believes that Fonseca “plots a path” to follow.
“It’s a tough path. With your dedication, your moves, your attitude, it helps you learn faster and be at the top”, Guto Miguel tells AFP after competing in the Latin American Open, in São Paulo, his debut on the ATP circuit.
In São Bernardo do Campo, Bruno Rodrigues ends a training session with other outstanding young players such as Igor Gimenez and Rafael Finetto.
Seeing “a player as young” as Fonseca winning titles is a boost: “If he can do it, maybe one day we can too.”
This Friday’s epic victory on Court Philippe Chatrier, the centerpiece of Roland Garros, against a legend like Novak Djokovic is proof of this.
