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Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 1, may have officially ended his 2025 season, but he's gearing up for a highly anticipated match at an exhibition event in Miami next month.

The six-time Major winner is set to go head-to-head with teenage sensation Joao Fonseca for the first time at the Miami Invitational, where they'll also team up with Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova for a mixed doubles 10-point tiebreak.

Fonseca has had a stellar season, starting the year ranked outside of the world's top 100 and finishing it at a career-high of No. 24. The Brazilian qualified for the Australian Open and shocked ninth seed Andrey Rublev on his Grand Slam main draw debut. He clinched his first title in Buenos Aires shortly after and recently bagged his biggest title at the ATP 500 in Basel.

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Alcaraz now reckons that the 19-year-old could be the third man in his rivalry with Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz and Sinner have been ruling men's tennis in recent years - they've shared the last eight Grand Slam titles and are thousands of points ahead of their competitors in the rankings.

The tennis world has been eagerly waiting to see if 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 backing Fonseca. Before their clash at the Miami Invitational, the six-time Major champion heaped praise on his young opponent.

"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 currently occupy the top spots in the rankings. Following a tight tussle at the end of the season, Alcaraz clinched the year-end No. 1 spot for the second time in his career.

And he's tipping Fonseca to join them in the elite top three should he maintain his current path. The two-time Wimbledon champion continued: "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 keeping tabs on Fonseca. Following the Brazilian's triumph over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to claim the Basel crown, Davidovich Fokina declared: "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."