Ever since he first picked up a tennis racket, João Fonseca has shown a penchant for power – even if it came with mixed results.“I was the kind of kid that destroyed the ball,” says Fonseca. “Sometimes, it would go into the fence; sometimes, it would go straight to the floor; and then, sometimes, we’re doing a winner.”

That approach – fearless, furious and unrestrained – has stayed with the Brazilian into his professional career, and today, his ripping forehand is one of the most breathtaking sights in men’s tennis.

Few players can match the 19-year-old Fonseca when it comes to raw power, particularly on the forehand wing. This not-so-subtle, not-so-secret weapon has guided him to two ATP Tour titles this year, including in the Swiss city of Basel last week.

There, Fonseca thumped 29 winners to see off Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final, while his average forehand speed was clocked at 81 miles per hour. For comparison, top players usually average around 75.

“I think my coach was really the first one that said: ‘Keep with this aggression,’” Fonseca tells CNN Sports about his all-out approach. “‘Keep doing this, but at the same time, let’s work with being more solid.’

“During these last years, I understood that you can’t hit the ball hard every time … Sometimes, it’s a stupid idea, of course, but sometimes, it’s good to be aggressive, to be courageous and have confidence in your shots.”

Lifting the title in Basel saw Fonseca become the third-youngest ATP 500 winner since the format was introduced in 2009, as well as the tournament’s youngest winner since Jim Courier in 1989.

Still a teenager, Fonseca’s potential is huge, his freakish power likely to become more of a threat as he develops and refines his game. To some, he is destined to join Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – by far and away the standout players in men’s tennis this year – at the very top of the game.

“The Brazilian Blaster (Fonseca) is a generational talent as I said 2 years ago and will be right there someday with the Italian Flamethrower (Sinner) and Spanish Magician (Alcaraz),” Rick Macci, the former coach to Serena Williams, wrote on X recently.

Those players, Macci added, will “create a new big three” to replace Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.