Young Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca, 18, has caught the attention of the tennis world with great performances on the court that have already earned him two titles in recent weeks, as well as a place in the main draw of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
It is not just the tennis player’s moves, however, that have attracted public attention.
Off the court, the unusual celebrations and shouts of encouragement from Brazilian fans present at Fonseca’s matches, and even the outfits worn by some of them, have also aroused curiosity.
After beating Coleman Wong, from Hong Kong, in the second qualifying match to advance to the main draw of the Australian Open, a shout from Brazilian fans caught the public’s attention.
“It’s açaí, it’s not açaí, João Fonseca is playing like hell”, chanted the fans in the stands, in a possible allusion to statements already made by the tennis player, that he likes to consume açaí when he is in Brazil.
In the following victory that guaranteed Fonseca in the main draw of the Australian Open, against Argentine Thiago Tirante, what caught the most attention, in addition to the Brazilian’s firm plays, was a fan dressed in an orange suit, which is worn by service employees of garbage collection in Rio de Janeiro.
“I want to thank everyone for the fans, for the support, for the wonderful support. The fans on the court today were sensational too”, declared Fonseca after the victory against Tirante.
In the first round of the Grand Slam, Fonseca will face Russian Andrey Rublev, number 9 in the world rankings, on a date yet to be defined.
In addition to the tennis players’ performance on the court, attention should also be focused on the Brazilian fans in the stands.
