The French Open (2026’s version) has been absolute carnage, by far the most entertaining Grand Slam in years, and no one has added more drama than Joao Fonseca.
Out on the clay – and largely in scorching heat – there has been upset after upset day upon day (Jannik Sinner started things off by crashing out in the second round), to the point where both the men’s and women’s tournaments are set to have entirely new Grand Slam champions come the weekend. While Fonseca, Brazil’s 19-year-old wonderkid, was knocked out in the quarter-finals by 20-year-old Czech Jakub Menšík, he went out after lighting up the Philippe Chatrier arena twice in three nights – first in unbelievable fashion against GOAT Novak Djokovic before demonstrating his obvious potential again by outsmarting former two-time French Open finalist Caspar Rudd.
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When you look at previous tennis greats, there are several hallmarks to what makes them stand out: aura on and off the court, a dynamism difficult to compete with, a huge fanbase from day dot, and a wrist game that turns heads. The likes of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams and Andre Agassi had them all, but what’s scary is that Joao Fonseca seemingly already has everything – including the latter.
This week, while Fonseca was keeping it real and signing tennis ball (keep them safe! They’ll be worth something in years to come, mark my words), we spotted that he was wearing a big ol’ Rollie. A cheeky zoom in proved this kid has the precious metal to go with the minerals he’s been showing on court. The flex in question is a white gold Rolex Yacht-Master 42; no one is rocking that and a) not wanting people to know about it and b) identifying as a wallflower.
Rolex prides itself on spotting excellence before everyone else latches on and takes notice; with Fonseca, the Swiss giants made an early executive decision to sign him up to the family and it’s paying off nicely already. The Yacht-Master doesn’t quite have the same street cred as the Daytona (a favourite of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz) and Submariner – it’s the Rolex with a bit of an identity crisis in that it’s both dressy and sporty. For that reason alone, we dig the choice from Fonseca even more. It speaks to the Brazilian’s inner confidence in himself and desire to be a bit different – although the great Fed Express has been partial to a Yacht-Master in years gone by.
With Wimbledon only around the corner, the buzz around Joao Fonseca is going to be at its loudest yet. Tennis has a new star on the rise; yet in the watch stakes, he’s already rolling with royalty.
