Rising Tennis Tracker · Player Dossier POR

First Portuguese player to take a set off Novak Djokovic

Jaime Faria

Right-handed with a two-handed backhand, the Lisbon native climbed nearly 300 ranking spots in 2024 and returned to the world's top 100 after reaching the Roland Garros third round in 2026.

Career-High Rank

No. 87

24 FEB 2025

Current Rank

No. 94

15 JUN 2026

Age

22

B. 6 AUG 2003

Challenger Titles

2

LISBON, POR

Career Trajectory

Surface Split

CLAY
HARD
Both Challenger titles and best Slam run (RG 3R) on clay First Grand Slam win: Australian Open 2025 Grass: Wimbledon 2R in 2026

Quick Facts

Birthplace

Lisbon, Portugal

Coach

Pedro Sousa

Height

188 cm (6'2")

Plays

Right-handed

Backhand

Two-handed

Best Slam

Roland Garros 3R (2026)

The Breakthrough

Faria never cracked the junior top 100, and his route up the rankings ran through the ITF and Challenger circuits rather than the wildcard fast lane. That grounding showed at Roland Garros in 2026: ranked outside the top 100, he entered qualifying, recorded a win over Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match, and reached the main draw without dropping a set. He then dismantled Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round in Paris for the first time and followed it with a straight-sets win over Jan-Lennard Struff.

"He's really a good player that has a lot of potential." — Novak Djokovic after their Australian Open 2025 match · Tennis Majors

In the third round he led Frances Tiafoe by two sets and stood five points from victory before the American escaped in five, in a tense, nearly four-hour battle that boiled over into a net-side confrontation. The run still did its work: the points carried Faria back inside the top 100 at No. 94, the position that earned his featured week in June 2026.

In His Own Words

"I have a good serve and I try to be aggressive on court."

ON HIS GAME, MAY 2026 · TENNISTOURTALK.COM

"I want to finish the season inside the top 100."

ON HIS 2026 GOALS, MAY 2026 · TENNISTOURTALK.COM

"It really helps to work with someone who has played on the tour himself."

ON COACH PEDRO SOUSA, MAY 2026 · TENNISTOURTALK.COM

Playing Style

Aggressive baseliner Two-handed backhand down the line Strong first serve Clay-court foundation
Sources: Wikipedia (Jaime Faria) · ATP Tour player profile and "Jaime Faria vs. Novak Djokovic: From being inspired by John McEnroe to playing in front of him" · Tennis Majors, "Get to know Jaime Faria, a rising star" · Tennis TourTalk, "Jaime Faria Eyes Top 100 Return Amid Steady Rise On Tour" (May 2026) · ESPN, "Tiafoe jaws with Faria in another five-set win at French Open" · The Portugal News, "Portuguese tennis player rises in the world ranking" (May 2026) · Roland-Garros.com match pages · Sportskeeda Australian Open 2025 coverage.
Compiled from public match reporting and official tour data — no private or unpublished sources used.